Traitors
by musichangover
Summary: RYRO.Pyro needed help and she was there. -Complete-
1. Prologue

_RIIIIINNNGGG_

_RIIIIINNNGGG!! RIIIIINNNGGG!!_

"Four in the morning?! Are you kidding me? Who calls at this hour?" Rogue groaned, looking at the alarm clock. She took a deep breath, and picked up her phone.

"Hello?" she asked.

Silence.

"Hello?" Pause.

"Hey. It's me."

It took her a moment or so to realize who was on the other side of the phone. She knew that voice. Yet it seemed so distant. As though she hadn't heard it in years. But she knew who it was. She was sure.

"John?" she asked, her voice softening.

"Pyro."

How did he get her number? She pushed away that thought and listened to the patter of heavy rain in the background, and glanced outside her bedroom window. Raining. Was he in the city? She couldn't help but hope so.

"I'm in trouble," he said bluntly. "I need your help."

Rogue couldn't reply. John, no matter how many times he called himself Pyro, was her friend. But he was also the traitor. _Aren't I a traitor too? One thought. I am. And so is he…_

"Please," Pyro said.

That did it. She slowly stood up.

"I'll…I'll be right there…" she said, forgetting every, past and future consequences included. He was her friend. She was going to help him. "Where are you?"


	2. Chapter 1

The car was a birthday gift. From Logan. Last birthday she saw him. The rain was hard. She drove around the corner, and saw the alley John had mentioned. Phone booth infront of it, lamp-post beside it. And there he was.

Blue shirt and a jacket over it. His jeans were cut, his hair dirty blond. He was drenched. And blood was dripping slightly from his mouth. By the time she had stopped the car, he had slipped down.

"John!" she called, jumping out of the car, and running up to him. He was still awake, but his eyes were slowly closing. He was obviously tired and his loud panting and deep breaths told her that he had just been running.

"Can you stand?" she asked loudly. The rain was getting louder and louder.

He stood up with her support, and shrugged off the pain in his bleeding left arm, merely saying, "I'm just damn tired, but I can walk. Person can't rush around nearly all of New York without having to catch a breath."

_There's the cockiness. Classic Pyro_, Rogue thought.

"What the heck is going on?" she demanded, looking at him from other his mop of wet hair.

He shook his head. "Not here. Let's go. Now. They'll be back."

"Aw, Pyro, who said _we_ weren't already here?" someone asked. Both of them turned. Rogue heard him curse under his breath. He pulled back his arm, which had been around her shoulder. "I can't believe you," said the newcomer, shaking her head. "A little rough-housing and you've already begged for help from…a human." At that word, the woman wrinkled her nose.

Pyro just took a breath. He turned halfway, then turned back, his right hand opened. Fire had shot out, from his lighter. It didn't strike the enemy, but created a tall barrier between them. He pulled Rogue by the arm, and they both headed for the car across the street. He jumped into the passenger seat. She jumped in herself and started the engine. The woman was approaching by now. It may have taken her a while, but she had managed to teleport to the other side of the barrier.

Again, Rogue heard Pyro curse. She stepped on the gas pedal, and drove them off at high speed.

"You're human?" he asked. Something in his tone told her he had already guessed that she was. But he just didn't want to believe it. She nodded. "How could you?" he asked, angry.

"Don't tell me, John. I wanted it this way."

"It's Pyro. Huh. I'd never expect you to betray your own kind, Rogue."

"It's Marie. And it's not like you haven't betrayed anyone. You've betrayed the school. You've betrayed me."

"Then shouldn't you be asking yourself what you're doing here, at around four-thirty in the morning, saving me from those thugs?" He scoffed.

"Don't think I haven't."

"Then why are you here?"

She couldn't answer. She didn't even know the reason. Why _was _she here?

"I don't know," she said finally.

"Look. You can just drop me off somewhere round the corner. At the bus stop."

"You're injured," she stated, glancing at his arm, where there was a deep cut, then below his mouth, where some blood had dripped.

"Not any of your concern."

She stopped the car. "Listen, Johnny. You're my friend. Atleast you were. I don't know. But I'm not gonna let you just get on the next bus out of here. Not like that."

"The minute the cops see me, I'm a dead man, you know that right?"

"Then…" she paused for a moment. The rain echoed from hitting the glass and the roof of the car. "Stay at my place for a couple of days. No one will look for you there."

"Sure," he muttered. "I thought you were smart, y'know. Ofcourse they'll look for me there. They've seen you and they've probably got your car's plate number."

"Then what do you suggest?"

"Motel." He grinned as she sighed, and took a turn.


	3. Chapter 2

"Morning," Rogue said softly, looking at Pyro from the chair near the window.

Their room wasn't that big, but it was big enough for just the two of them. The window gave them a full view into the parking lot, which was good. It was the day after, and they were even lucky to just be able to find a motel with vacancies. On the other hand, there was the fact that they had to share a bed…

"What, you didn't sleep?" he asked, getting up. He had been spread pretty much over the entire bed. He looked at her, and she nodded a reply.

It was ironic, now that he thought of it, how fresh she looked, despite having been awake since four in the morning. Her hair just fell down and crowned her face perfectly, smoothly. She didn't look sleepy at all. Her small smile made him…well, sorta smile…inside that was. Even in the slight darkness of closed curtains, and the poor type of wallpaper the manager had picked, she simply looked beautiful…Wait. What was he thinking? This was Rogue. He didn't like Rogue. He never liked Rogue. The farthest they had gone was friendship. A short one too. And what about Bobby? Where did he fit into this picture?

"Have you called your boyfriend?" he asked her casually, getting up and filling a cup with the coffee she had made.

"I didn't make that," she said uneasily. He poured the contents into the sink, and placed the cup there as well. "And if by boyfriend you mean Bobby Drake, trust me, he doesn't have to know."

"Are you saying that that 'rock-hard' stable relationship you and Iced Brain is over?" he asked with a mock laugh.

"Here," she said, handing him a cup of coffee she had bought from the diner around the corner. "Much safer." Pause. "And yes, it's over. Let's just say…he moved on…while we were in a relationship."

"Who was it?" he asked, partially interested. He glanced at his injured arm. It was bandaged up, and didn't sting or hurt. She caught him staring at it for a moment or so.

"I did that," she said. She dropped her cup of coffee into the dust bin, and sat on the bed. "It was Kitty Pryde," she added after a moment, a tone of hurt in her voice.

"Sorry," he grunted.

"He just started liking her. It doesn't really matter now, does it?" she said, smiling slightly. He nodded. "How long are we gonna stay here?"

"Maybe a week. Two. Three. A month at most."

"And no one can know we're here?"

He shook his head. "That lady last night and her thugs will have given up search by then atleast. Then you can go home and I can disappear."

"Who was she?"

"It doesn't matter."

"Yes it does, John."

"Pyro. And no, it doesn't."

"Fine. Don't tell me."

"Good. Let's keep it that way."

"There's some food in that bag," she said, looking at the one on the table. "I bought it earlier."

He ignored that statement, and took a seat in the chair she had just left. "What happened between you and the mansion?"

"Why do you think something happened?"

He smiled knowingly. "Because you haven't mentioned it at all yet. I'd expected you to have told me to go there."

"I talk to Ms. Munroe. Just not anyone else."

"Not even Wolverine?" he asked, looking at her as she looked at the floor.

"I'm dead to him. He said it himself."

"Why?"

"Tell my why that woman attacked you and I'll tell you why he hates me."

"No deal, Roguey."

She sighed. They both heard a phone ring. It was hers. He picked it up from the table and looked at the caller ID. It was Bobby.

"Looks like the ex wants to make amends," he said sarcastically. She snatched the phone from his hands.

"He just checks in once in a while." She put it on silent and threw it onto the bed. "What are we going to do for three weeks?"

He ignored that statement as well, and instead opened the curtains and looked outside. Bright day.

He dropped down onto the bed behind her. She dropped beside him. He closed his eyes, and looked so peaceful. As peaceful as earlier. She could see his chest rise slowly and fall back down as he was breathing. It was a scene she could stare at all day. And before she knew it, he was asleep. She turned, and soon, fell asleep too, not even noticing that he was absent-mindedly moving from side to side, and had ended up putting an arm around her. She locked the embrace, placing her arm on top of his.

Later.

"John," Rogue whispered. He woke up, and pulled his arm back. How it had gotten to be around her waist, he didn't know. But she was still asleep. _Is that my name she's whispering in her sleep?_ he thought. She turned to the other side, and was facing him now. He looked at her. She looked so fragile. So soft. So…perfect. He pushed a white strand of hair behind her ear. And the as he drew back his hand, his fingers softly brushed her cheek.

"John," she murmured again. He got up, and looked out the window again. Nothing unusual. Then he turned back to her. Still asleep.

One Week Later.

They were always dead quiet. Spoke sometimes, but otherwise just sat down quietly, not even acknowledging each other's existence. Rogue sat on the chair by the window again, and looked at Pyro. He had just come out of the shower, his hair wet. He was wearing those clothes she had gotten for him at a nearby store. He was drying his hair with a towel

It was rather annoying, really. Earlier that day, they had both reached for her phone, which had rung, for what could've been the hundredth time that week. His hand had come over hers. He didn't even pull it back quickly, or look embarrassed. He just pulled back softly. His hands were warm.

Right now, he was sitting on the bed, flicking his lighter open and shut. He had once shown her what he could now do. She had to admit it, he had become really good at manipulating fire.

Once, he had reached for his lighter, and had had to place his arm around her to get it. His arm had slid across her back. No matter how many times she tried to lie to herself, it felt…good.

She didn't think she was sending these…awkward signs. Or did she? Well…she had noticed…that time she had come out of the shower, with a towel wrapper around, drenched, and he had just walked into the room. She had her back turned to him, but she knew he was there. And she could feel him staring. Because it was a minute later when the door shut, and he was gone. She also knew it was him. She had heard the lighter, opened and then closed over and over again.

She had begun to force him to eat. Sorta like forcing the spoon into his mouth. He barely ate. She'd place a hand on his cheek, and he'd smile, and take a bite while looking through the newspaper. He wouldn't tell her, but kinda enjoyed her hands on his cheeks. Liked the closeness. Liked waking up next to her everyday. Yeah. It was true. He liked her. Liking her being the minimum affection he could consider. No. Caring for her was the minimum. And he had surpassed that.

Rogue glanced away as Pyro looked at her. She picked up her phone again. It was Storm.

"They'll kill me for not telling them where I am."

"I'll protect you then," he said, half-joking, while Rogue felt her cheeks burn and a smile start to creep onto her face.

"I doubt I'd need you to protect me."

"Sure. Keep telling yourself that."

She shook her head, and stood up. She looked out the window. They had been doing that frequently. He looked out along with her. The manager of the place hadn't recognized Pyro when they'd check in and a week had gone by already and the cops hadn't been called. So far so good. There wasn't even a single sign of that woman who'd attacked him. He backed out, and placed his lighter on the table. It slipped down. He didn't notice. Rogue bended down, her back faced to him. She stood up again, and turned. He caught her by the arms, by surprise, and leaned in and kissed her.

It was a sweet kiss. And after the surprise had passed, she had felt herself enjoying it. Returning it. His lighter was still in her hand, and she was clutching it tight now. He backed off, and his forehead leaned forward, onto hers. Their eyes were both closed now.

"That was good," he murmured. She giggled slightly, and her cheeks were burning red.

"Pyro…" Rogue began. He had corrected her so many times she had started calling him by the name he wanted. She didn't expect him to correct her this time.

"It's John."

"John…" she whispered, burying her face into his shoulder. He rocked her softly from side to side. It was a sweet moment. Her arms were around his neck. They just stood there. It seemed like they were standing for ages, but they didn't care. Nothing else mattered at the time. Not what was going around them, not what had happened before, not even what was going to happen.

He was there. There with her. That was all that matter to them.


	4. Chapter 3

One Week Later.

Earlier.

_He liked it this way. In two weeks, he was hers and she was his. It was just them. Literally. He stood up and looked outside the window. She was out buying dinner. In another week's time, they'd leave. For good. Start over. He wanted to do that. She wanted to do that. Go somewhere – anywhere – where nobody knew them. _

"_You can't always see things from just a window," a voice called. Pyro turned around quickly. Magneto. But he was different. He was dressed…well, dressed as he had been when he was a mutant. But he had been cured. He should've been wearing…normal clothes. At his confused look, Magneto smiled. "Hello, Pyro."_

"_You're human," he stated. He opened his hand a little, and Magneto caught a glimpse of his lighter. _

"_So is you're 'girlfriend'." Pause. "I've been watching the two of you lately. Exchanging kisses. Glances. It's…sickening. You're still a mutant, and yet you've become soft. Not just soft. Softer than I would've ever imagined. Soft enough to fall for a human. A human who was a mutant, and ended up betraying her kind. The old Pyro would've found that deserving of a punishment." Pyro winced. He understood. By 'punishment', Magneto meant death. _

"_How're you…back?" he asked._

"_That doesn't matter. I have one question for you, Pyro. Or is it John now?" Without waiting for an answer, he continued, "Do you love her?"_

"_I don't know."_

"_That's not the correct answer. Yes or no? Do you love her?"_

"_Yes," he murmured. He knew it inside. Heck, even if it was two weeks. To them, it could've been a year. A great year. He knew others would consider it impossible to fall in love in two weeks, but he loved her. Not only that, he cared for her. He could watch her sleep for ages. Stare at her for what seemed like centuries. He would hold her tight when they slept, proving to her that he was there for her. That he would always be there. So yeah – heck, yeah – he loved her!_

"_Ah. I see. How badly do you love her, Pyro?" Again, Magneto didn't wait for a reply. "Badly enough to die for her? Or to make sure at any costs that, given your current circumstances, she wouldn't end up dead?"_

"_What are you saying?"_

"_I've met that woman who attacked you. And I've paid her a suitable amount of money to stay away from you. She's not part of the deal. But I could make her. And trust me, that woman could kill her in 24 hours."_

"_Are you blackmailing me?" Pyro demanded. A ball of fire appeared in his hand. He was challenging the man who had once been his leader._

"_No. I'm just helping you ensure Ms. D'Ancanto's safety."_

"_What are the terms?" Pyro asked. He knew he couldn't win this. Magneto had years of experience. He barely had more than three. He also knew the man. He was one who kept his word. To the very end._

"_You leave right now. You don't tell her why. You just come with me and never talk to her again."_

"_Can I leave a note?" he asked, his tone bitter._

"_No. She has to believe that you left on your own accord."_

"_And if I say no?"_

"_I leave. She dies."_

"_Guess I don't have much of a choice, do I?" Pyro said._

"_Not really. But, Pyro. I made you the warrior you have become. And within a few more years of practice, no mutant will be able to stop you. I'm merely helping you, m'boy."_

"_What if I don't want to be helped?"_

_Magneto didn't answer. "Just choose. She lives or she dies."_

_Magneto waited for his answer. It seemed to take ages. Pyro considered his options. He knew that his attacker was tough and greatly skilled. He knew that at one point, he wouldn't be able to protect Rogue. He knew that his attacked would be able to find them, no matter where they would hide. He looked around the room, thinking hard. Lose her…or really lose her. He turned back to Magneto._

Now.

"John?" Rogue asked, entering their room. It was dark. The lights were off. She flicked them on, and looked around the room. It looked no different than earlier. "John?" she asked again. She put down the bag she had been carrying, and turned.

She nearly jumped. Pyro had just appeared right behind her. He grabbed her by the wrist, and pulled her. He was already carrying the small duffel she had bought to hold their stuff. He wasn't just pulling her, he was dragging her quickly out of the motel.

"John!" she said, stopping.

"Not here," he practically hissed. He fiddled nervously, and managed to open the car door. "Get in." She wasn't convinced. "Please," he said softly. Rogue nodded, and got in.

"What's going on?" she asked as he started the engine, sped backwards and sped out of the parking lot. He was nervous. His hands were shaking. Clearly terrified.

"I…Magneto…He came. He told me to come with him, or you'd die." Pause. "I didn't go with him. I couldn't lose you. Not after…after everything. Damn, Rogue, I don't know. Maybe I'm crazy. Maybe I just cost you your life. I just…I think...I think I really – "

"I think I might be starting to love you to," she blurted. "John, I know it's too soon. I know we're probably morons for our choices...but I don't want to leave you either."

"I was going to say that I really care about you. Seriously care about you," he said, trying to cover up his mess. She had just blurted it out to him. He was shocked. And in sheer stupidity, made an attempt to cover up something that could've ended up beautifully.

"Oh," Rogue murmured. She was turning red. "I…" then she just gave up on the topic. Heck, she cared for him too. That was good enough for now. "Where are we going?" she asked quietly.

"I'm not – " he began. But he couldn't finish his sentence.

A huge truck had just collided with them, hitting them from his side – the driver's side. It crushed the car in areas, driving it farther and farther away into the woods of the deserted area. It was untouched, seeing as many accidents had occurred there. Who would've thought this would've happened? he thought painfully and sarcastically. It hurt a lot. Then the car flipped over, and he saw Rogue had already been knocked out. It finally stopped, and they were upside down. He could hear the drip of oil. His head was throbbing badly and he could barely see anything clearly. He could feel and taste his own blood. He could see drips of Rogue's falling down her forehead too. He just prayed that she was alive. She just couldn't be dead. How could he do this? What if she was? He'd lost her. For real. Damn. He slowly moved a clearly fractured right arm onto her hand, his clasping it. Please squeeze back. He squeezed her hand, and waited. Nothing.

"I…love…you…too," he half-panted, half-whispered. His throat was burning now. His mind was aching. Everything was blurry. He knew he was going to black out. He felt sharp pangs and pains all over his body. Could feel the sting of open wounds. Rogue's eyes were closed. His hold on her hand grew tighter. He could only hope that he would stay awake for the fires to burst. Then he could possibly save her…that was if there _was_ a her to save. He begged there was. He didn't care if he was about to lose himself. He did this. And if he lived and she died, the guilt would overwhelm him. "Can you hear me, baby?" he breathed. "I love you. I really love you. I don't care either. I'm never leaving you. Can you hear me?"

"I knew you wouldn't," she choked on her words, blood spluttering down her mouth. She tilted her head towards him. They both her the truck reverse and drive off.

He almost smiled, except that it hurt too much. She was hurting too. She would lose consciousness too. She could barely open her eyes. Breathing had become slightly hard, and her chest was on fire. Her left side was aching heavily, and she couldn't move her arms. But she could her hands. She tightened her grip onto Pyro's hand as he tightened his grip over hers.

"I'm not letting you go either," she told him as clearly as she could.

The car exploded into flames. He had never done anything like it before. He just tried as hard as he could. Not to just manipulate the flames, but to make them move him. It just added to the pain. He had never tried anything like it before. He just clutched her hand in his tighter. Her grip was loosening. The flames barely tickled them. It had surrounded them, an inch away from their skin. Please, oh, please, he thought. The concentration could've killed off his brain, but somehow it worked. The flames transported them. They were out of the car. He saw the blurriness of the dark blue sky. The flames on the car had disappeared and died down. He could feel Rogue's hand move up slowly and softly onto his chest. He tried to sit up, but after the usage of powers, he could barely move.

"Don't close your eyes," she told him. She herself had managed to sit up, but he knew she was in great pain at this movement. He could feel her hand was wet with blood. Her bones might've been broken. He didn't know. Her other hand slipped up to his cheek. "John, stay awake," she pleaded.

"I will if you will," he said, half-smiling. His hands went over hers, taking them for reassurance. Rogue looked up as he slightly blacked out unconscious.

He was out before he heard her speak.

"Logan."


	5. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own the X-Men.**

**A/N: Thanks to all those who reviewed…_coup fatal, The Freak in the Shadows, PyroWhore, CodenameCali, PyroDeScorpio2, MJLS…_**

The sound of the curtains being zipped open had woken him up. He bolted up into a sitting position, but was quite surprised. For one, he was alive. That was good. For two, he was in a bed…no the road nor some hospital bed…a comfortable bed. He looked around. The way and design of the room was rather familiar. It was only when his eyes rested on the grey-hair woman by the window that he realized where he was. He was in the mansion. At the school. Not a good thing.

"Morning, sunshine," Ororo Munroe said brightly before taking a seat in a nearby armchair. She looked outside at the bright sky, and as her smile widened, so did the sun's brightness. Then she turned to Pyro. "Hi, John."

He didn't reply immediately. He couldn't understand. They hated him. Loathed him to be more precise. He was a traitor. They were suppose to hate him. Not greet him…or…heal him. He looked down at his wounds. They were all bandaged up. He wasn't aching that much either. Yet, he didn't care. A thought had just raced through his mind. "Rogue…" he murmured. His head had started aching, and he got flashbacks of his last moments awake.

"She's fine, John," Storm said firmly. He looked up at her. He rubbed his face with his hands, and she watched his reaction. Where was the jackass of a John Allerdyce she had grown to teach and handle? He was…calmer…heck, maybe it was the meds. But she was sure of one thing. "You really care for her." Statement. Not question. She was sure.

"Yeah…I do. Where…is…is she all right?" he asked, unsure, maybe even a little scared. He hoped she was. Last he saw her, she was looking down at him. He could see the care in her eyes. Maybe it was love. Huh. Yeah. Maybe it was.

"She's fine. She's resting. How're you, John?"

"It's Py – heck…I don't know…" he looked at her sincerely. "Maybe it's…John now. Sure seems like it."

She smiled at that. "It took a lot of convincing, y'know…to get Logan to bring you here as well. Rogue wouldn't go with him. She said if you didn't come, she wouldn't either. Quite a connection the two of you have. Is something…going on?"

He covered his face with his hands. Aching again. He thought of it. Yeah, they were official. They cared about each other and had even admitted to have started loving each other. He gave thought. They had never really said anything. It was assumed. But it was good. They knew that they were. "Yeah. We're…us," he said, looking up at her.

"That's…well, I don't know if that's a good thing. But you've changed. And I wonder…is it because of her?"

"It is."

"So…you're on our side now?"

"No."

"Then you denied Magneto and nearly cost your girlfriend her life for nothing?"

"I nearly cost my girlfriend her life because I loved her and couldn't let go. I'm not on your side. I'm not on anyone's side. Neither is Rogue. It's just us. It has been for the past two weeks."

"I know, John. I'm not arguing with you. I just thought you'd had a change of heart."

"I have. My heart belongs to her now." He couldn't believe he had just said something as corny at that. Huh. Maybe he was changing.

"And your alliance?"

"To her. Only her."

"I understand," Ororo Munroe said, folding her legs. She looked at him and smiled. "You're in love. You're so deeply in love you can barely see the surface." She was teasing him…somewhat. He knew that. It was embarrassing really. He felt himself go slightly red. It just encouraged her. "I never really thought I'd see this," she said truthfully. "But it's good, John. You're not gonna join Magneto, nor betray him and you're not gonna join us, nor betray us. It's good, John. We're friends. Don't worry. No hard feelings. Therefore…" she said, dragging slightly. "I might have to warn you that…well, Rogue's been awake for two days now. You've been out for eight, her for four. So…she had a talk…or Logan had a talk with her. Bobby had too. To shorten the details, Logan wants to kill you. Bobby just hates you…"

John shrugged. He didn't care about Ice Prick nor Wolverine. He only cared about Rogue.

"Where's Rogue?" he asked.

"Ah, can't keep you love birds apart, can I?" Storm teased. She stood up. "I'll send her in. She's somewhat okay now. Her wounds were numerous but not that deep. You, on the other hand, can't get out of this room, because a) you need to rest, and b) half the team want to kill you. Consider yourself lucky, John. It's the middle of summer."

"Hey…that's right," he said, beginning to catch on. "It's damn hot. So why…did it rain heavily two weeks ago around night?" He pointed at glance towards the weather goddess.

"Let's just say Wolverine had gotten onto my nerves." She smiled at him slightly and left the room, and in less than a minute, it opened again, and Rogue entered.

Her hair was carelessly lying on her shoulders. She looked perky and strained at the same time. He couldn't see any bandages. She was wearing a long sleeved sweat shirt and long jeans. She was smiling. He started smiling. She sat down next to him on the bed, and placed her head on his chest, listening to his heart beat. It sounded good. This was right.

"Hey…" he murmured.

"Are you all right?" she asked him; she was concerned. He liked that.

"Probably need an aspirin," he said. As she moved to go get him one, he pulled her back. "Not now," he said, pulling her closer. He closed his eyes, his chin on her head. She could feel him breathing. His arms wrapped around her. Her hands cupped themselves over his. It was one of their silent moments when no one else really mattered.

"I love you," he breathed. He didn't even think that she heard, but she did.

"That's nice," she said. She chuckled slightly. "I love you too."

"What've you been doing lately?"

"Reading…resting…watching you sleep…"

"I was afraid you were badly hurt…or worse."

"I was afraid I had lost you. Twice that day itself." He pulled her closer.

"I care about you, Rogue. I'd give up so much for you…maybe I already have. I just want to be with you."

"I know. I care about you too. I just want to wake up next to you everyday and know that you're there."

"Baby, ofcourse I'm there. I'll always be there. Promise me you'll always know that. I want you to know that I care. I love you. I think about you all the time."

"I know that. I promise I'll always remember that. I don't ever want you to leave."

"I keep telling you. I'll always be here with you. I'm never leaving. I've found what I always wanted. I'm not going to give it up that easily." He kissed her on the top of her head, and remained in that position for a few moments. "What's…what's going to happen now? Did they tell you anything? Is Magneto's contract still on?"

"Logan gutted her. Pulled her out of the truck and whammed her straight. She's gone. But I don't know if he'll leave us alone."

"Magneto won't give up so easily. Now that I've left his side, all he wants me to feel is pain. Whatever torture he can bring upon me. Upon us."

She didn't reply for a moment, but basked in them. Basked in the moments they were sharing. Moments of peace. Moments revolving only them. Their moments. But then she had to tell him what was on her mind.

"Johnny?" she asked.

"Mhmm?"

"I wasn't talking about Magneto. I was talking about Logan."

"Oh. He doesn't like me that much, does he?"

"Hates you a lot. He…kept telling me we weren't right. Kept making everything your fault. Said that I was making a mistake. Said that you were just using me as a grand escape from trouble. Like you were just going to let me get hurt for your well-being. He said that you didn't care about me…"

"Do you believe him?"

"I love you."

"I know. But do you believe him?"

"No…"

"Good," he sighed. "What's going to happen after we get better?"

"I don't know yet. Storm's pretty much on our side, and doing anything she can to piss of Logan. Bobby's pissed off too. He's admitted it. Kitty's…refraining from staying in the same room as me. Dr. McCoy's not against us either. But I don't know…I'm just scared they'll call the cops. Storm and Dr. McCoy won't…but I don't want Logan to hurt you." The word 'hurt' had brought up memories. She thought about them in the silence. She didn't want to be hurt again, and despite disbelieving every assumption Logan had made…she was a little bit unsure of her and John. She knew he loved her, but if Magneto had been persuasive in terms of power…who knows? Maybe she wasn't good enough for her. At one point he might end up choosing something else before her. She didn't want him to just forget her momentarily, like Bobby or practically forget her, like Logan. Their actions hurt. She didn't want to be hurt. "I…" she began, planning to say what was on her mind. She made a quick decision to just tell him. "I know you love me, Johnny…I love you too. I just…I don't want to get hurt again. Not like before…"

"I know that. I won't. I'm not going to repeat the faults of others."

"What if…what if everyone trying to break us up…what if they're right in the long run? What if it won't last? What…what if something happens and…"

"Don't think like that. _Nothing_ can break us up. _Nothing_ can make me leave you. _Nothing_, do you hear me?" His voice had risen slightly. It had scared him for a moment, her doubt. It had sort of made him slightly angry.

"I'm sorry," she said, sensing his disappointment.

"Don't be. Just understand that, please."

"I do, Johnny…I do."

"Good. After we're okay again, we leave, agreed? Go somewhere. Start over. Be us. Forget everything else. Okay?" It was clearly what they wanted, what they needed.

"Okay," she said. It was final. They were just them. Nothing else.

…X…

Five days later. Both of them were around all right now. They were standing in the office Logan had just marched them into. He was completely in disagreement.

"Listen," Wolverine said, pointing at Pyro. "I don't like you. I don't like you with her. I don't like you in general. You're leaving. She's staying."

"You're not my father, Logan!" Rogue said. "You said it yourself. I make my own decisions. I'm going with John."

"No! You're not thinking, Rogue! He's not always going to be there!"

"He will be!" she said, taking a step closer.

"So…you're _willing_ to be a traitor? Willing to just give up on the school? On your friends? Because you going with him will make you a traitor, Rogue."

"Friends? What friends? I have no friends! Nobody here, except Storm, has really been there! John's there! I'm going with him!"

Logan was annoyed and angry now, Pyro could tell. He put one hand around Rogue and on her shoulder. That really pissed off Wolverine. He started.

"So…what – you two planning to elope or something? 'Cause it's not gonna happen. Not on my watch." He pointed at Rogue. "You. You're human now. You're…well, how should I put this – rather…vulnerable. Rogue, you're not thinking at the moment. I know. It's a big change. I can help you. We're gonna give you a second chance." He then pointed at Pyro. "You. You're a whole different story. Leave the people who've accepted you. Move to the enemy. Betray. Kill. Fight. You don't get a second chance. You can leave."

The silence was endless. It seemed to go on an on. He wasn't sure of what to say. She finally was.

"I don't want a second chance…" Rogue murmured. She looked at Logan and took a couple of steps forward. "I'm not even asking for one. I left. I never _wanted_ a second chance. You gave up on _me_. I _didn't_ give up on _me_. And I am _not_ vulnerable." It was another word that brought up memories. She turned to Pyro. "Neither am I pathetic." He saw the look on her face. Sadness. She remembered what he had said before. But it was a problem they'd fix later. For now, she turned back to Logan. "I don't need _you_. Or anyone to protect me." She was angry now. Both of the men understood that. "All I needed was for you to be there! Well, what do you know – _you_ gave up on _me_. _You_ stopped being _there_. _You_ were busy about Jean. And if it wasn't Jean, it was Storm. And if it wasn't Storm…it was Kitty. I don't know, Logan, but for some reason, I've always be second. Second to this or to that or to whatever. I'm _tired_ of that. I'm _tired_ of you running to find Jean. I'm _tired_ of you dashing away to help Ororo. I'm _tired_ of you being too busy training Katherine friggin' Pryde! _I'm just tired of you_! Tired because you're tired of me. That's it. It's no biggie. People grow apart, people grow closer. Way of the world." She was blinking slightly to hold back the tears now. "I don't need you to be there. And _you_ yourself threw away whatever responsibility you supposedly had over me. _Remember?_ You told me that _you_…_weren't_…_my father!_ _You_. _Were_. _My_. _Friend_. But you _weren't. You. Couldn't. Be. My. Friend._ And here we are now. I'm _happy_. I'm actually happy for once. I don't need you to be there if you don't need you to be there. I'm _fine_."

"No. Rogue. You're not. You're not fine. If you were, you'd have enough sense to understand what I'm saying!"

"I don't need to! And heck if I want to!" she said. They were close now, ready to burst out. Storm came through the door.

She glanced at Pyro, then at Logan and Rogue. "Ahem. Hey. Listen. No one is going anywhere for a while. Logan, John's okay now. Rogue's a grown up now as well. She can make her own decisions. Heck, yeah, Wolverine," she added as he gave her a look, "I'm defending them. Rogue's right. She doesn't have to be the one given a second chance. It's us. We blew it. You, most of all, blew it. On my account, I'm trying to make up for it. But you're at fault in this scenario Logan." She turned to Rogue at Pyro. "Look, you guys, you can leave if you want. No one's holding you back. But just not now. Something's going on. John, I know you know Magneto. He's not going to let this go that easily or that quickly. Atleast for now, you two will be safe her. Just for a little while. I know you two are probably tired of hiding, but it's for the ultimate best. Okay?"

Rogue nodded. She walked backwards into Pyro's arms. Wolverine grunted and stomped out of the room. Storm nodded, and took a deep breath. She checked her watch. "It's late. You two should get some sleep."

Pyro agreed. Storm kinda understood. She was on their side. Wolverine…well, it sure sounded as though Rogue was ready to shut him out. It was for the best. He loved her. She loved him. It was as simple as that. Yet their feelings didn't seem to make the walk to their bedroom any easier.

She was silent, but held his hand, his arm casually slung over her shoulder to pull her closer to him.

"You okay?" he asked. It was his turn to be concerned. She nodded. "Iceman told you what I said at the clinic, huh?"

She nodded once more. "And…you're angry at me?" he asked as they entered the bedroom they shared. She shook her head, and turned, so that they were about an inch apart, his forehead bending down to touch hers.

"I love you, John Allerdyce," she said. Her tone was soft. He wrapped her arms around her.

"That's good to know," he said softly.

He kissed her once. Kissed her twice. Then the third time, their kiss just grew hotter and longer. It became more passionate than ever. It wasn't just plain making out. It was sharing what they felt. Passion. Her hands ran through his hair, messing it up. She jumped up, her legs folding around his waist. He carried her towards the bed. It didn't matter if just around nearly two weeks ago they had been in a car crash. It was now. They'd ignore the short and small pangs of pain. He laid her down smoothly, coming up before her, forcing her unintentionally to stay down…

**A/N: Submit Review??**


	6. Chapter 5

The Following Morning.

John woke up first. They were under the covers, and his arm was around her. He didn't dare move or make a sound. He wanted her to stay asleep so he could watch. She moved slightly, and a smile crept up to her lips, yet her eyes were still closed. He took a moment to realize what had happened the night before. Huh. _That_ was _very_ good. He felt himself start to smile as well. He pulled her closer, and could feel his arm rub against her naked waist. It sent chills up his neck. The good kind. He took in the smell of her hair. Strawberries. Her hair was soft, against his chest. Her back was so smooth. He could picture everything they did last night. He remembered pulled her closer and closer. Her pulling his shirt of him and throwing it to the other side of the room. Him kissing her from the lips, down the neck, up until he reached between her breasts. He remembered feeling them for the first time too. Huh. _That was very, very good_, he thought. She clutched at his back, loving everything they were doing. Loving him. Then, her panties already off with his pants; her legs were wrapped around his waist once more. Her skin was damn soft, and she looked so fragile, he couldn't help but be extra careful. She was like crystal…or porcelain…or something like that.

He moved slightly in the bed, so that he was looking straight up at the ceiling. She, sensing he had moved, moved as well so that her hand was on his stomach, and her head on his chest. Rogue was awake now. She felt his chest rise with every deep breath, and loved it. She could feel his heart beat; hear it too. Her head raised, and she looked up at him. He smiled at her, and her hand moved up to his chest. He locked her besides him with his arm around her, and she kissed him on the neck. He kissed her on the head, and his hand moved up to caress her hair. She sat up, pulling the covers up along with her to cover herself. He could see her back clearly, and stared at her, her hair falling carelessly down her naked back. Grabbing his nearby shirt, she put it on. It was rather long and big for her, coming down, covering her just before her thighs. She looked at him, while putting on her fallen underwear.

"Breakfast?" she asked him.

They both glanced at the clock. Almost six. Nobody was up yet. Usually it took them till seven, seeing as it was summer and practically no one was in.

"How?" he said smoothly. "You're wearing my shirt."

"Fine. I'll bring you up some food," she said. He smiled, and sat up, reaching for his pants. She stared at him put them on. He didn't even know she was looking. Atleast she thought. But then he turned midway, and chuckled, shaking his head at her. "Baby, we can do it again if you want," he said cockily.

"Ah," Rogue sighed. "There's the arrogant jackass I've learned to love." She blew him a kiss and left the room.

She walked down the stairs, a certain jump with each step. It was quiet. No one was around, and she walked into the kitchen.

"Wow. Wow. Wow," someone said, sounding a little bemused and amused at the same time. Rogue whipped around. Just Storm. She eased up. The weather goddess took a sip of her coffee. "Wild night, huh?" she asked. Rogue smiled slightly, turned and fixed up two cups of coffee.

"Why are you so nice?" she asked. "You should be…angry. Very angry. Me and John, this is something that's…suppose to be unacceptable. I just don't get it, Ms. Munroe. Why are you so all right with me and John when nobody else is?"

"Because I've seen this type of love before. No matter what you do, you can't stop it. It might break temporarily once in a while, now and then, but it'll always be there. I'm just letting nature take course. Plus anything that pisses off Logan is okay with me."

"Oh. So you two over now?" Rogue asked, taking a plate and placing two bagels on it.

"He's been distracted. Constantly. Then he goes on talking about Jean or Kitty."

"I understand," Rogue agreed, taking a bite of her bagel.

"He hasn't talked about you that much, but I know he missed you. Rogue, when you two had that fight, it was real bad. I don't even understand what you were fighting about."

"The same thing we were fighting about last night. Him acting like I'm suppose to do whatever he says is best for me. Him thinking I've betrayed mutanity."

"Isn't that sort of true? The mutanity thing?"

"Maybe. But he said he doesn't make my decisions. He said I made them. Then afterwards…I don't want to talk about it."

"I nearly fried him for slapping you…he claimed you made your marks too. I didn't see them…"

"I pummeled him in the chest with my fists. Didn't work that much."

It was returning to her. She and John had talked about it before.

"_Marie!" Logan called. She was by the pool. She sat on one of the benches, staring into the water. She had just ended it with Bobby. It had been a tough night. _

"_What the heck is going on?" Logan asked, standing before her, blocking her view of the pool. She kept her eyes to the ground. She had loved Iceman. His betrayal had hurt her bad. She didn't feel like talking at all. "I just talked to Kitty. She's crying. She stammered that you and Bobby had a fight, and that you and he were yelling at each other, you were yelling at her, he was yelling at you about her. What happened?"_

Rogue looked at Storm.

_She had known the ending of her past encounter with Logan even before it had ended. She knew that the minute she walked into the mansion, she would have already been stated as an outcast. Kitty Pryde, the school's little princess of innocence, everyone would take in what she said and defend her. Plus the fact that she was human. She was a traitor. No matter how many times they'd know that Bobby had cheated on her with Kitty, everyone would still see her as the traitor, not Miss Precious Pryde. She'd be the blame. _

'_Ofcourse Bobby would do that, how could he handle staying with a girl like that?'_

'_Not being able to touch as a mutant, she was desperate enough to go human.'_

'_Doesn't she know there are more things to a relationship than touch here and touch there?'_

'_What. A. Slut.'_

'_For him, she says.'_

'_Yeah, right!' _

She had remembered the backstabbing she had listened to for a couple of days. Even her most trusted friends had turned on her and gone to back up Kitty. But back to her conversation with Logan.

"_I don't want to talk about it, Logan," she had said quietly. _

"_No, Rogue. I need to understand this. Now."_

"_I don't want to talk about it."_

"_Rogue!" he said, annoyed already. She stood up._

"_I…don't…want…to…talk…about…it…" she choked, crying now. Her cheeks had gone red, and tears were leaking down her eyes. She tried to wipe them away and stop crying. But she couldn't. They just kept coming. "Kitty and Bobby…they were…all over…each other…." She wept a little. "I caught them. We started fighting. What do you expect? He's…he's been…he's been distant from me! I thought it was my fault! I drove myself crazy trying to find out why! And now I know!"_

"_Stop being a drama queen," Logan said absentmindedly. Rogue made an angry noise and stomped away. He grabbed her back by the arm and turned her around. "Wait. Listen to me. Rogue, maybe it is your fault. I'm not saying it's not his at all. Trust me. It's his fault as well. But I want to talk to you about the whole taking the cure thing. Maybe it was the wrong way to go."_

_Huh. What do you know…it was the conversation she had been waiting for him to spill out for practically eons now. She knew. He didn't like the fact that she took the cure. Not one bit. But he wouldn't admit it. But she knew somehow he'd work it into a conversation. But did it have to be tonight?_

"_No! You told me to make my own decisions! You're not my father! You're not even my friend! You're just…you. Trying to be the knight in shining armor! But in the end, you never save the girl. So you keep trying, and your acts die slowly if it's the same girl over and over and over and over and over – "_

_He slapped her. Hard. Her cheek went red. He hadn't known what to really do, so he had just slapped her. First thing that came to mind. She was angry. She hit him on the chest repeatedly, her fists clenched. He grabbed her wrists and held her in position. _

"_I don't know who you really are, Logan," she sobbed. _

_She pulled herself free and walked back to the mansion. He heard her sobs as she got farther and farther. Then he turned, and took a seat on one of the benches. It was a mess he'd figure out how to fix later. Not now. Maybe he just didn't want to fix it. Rogue didn't know. All she knew was that everyone was staring at her weirdly the next day._

_They giggled, but when she got closer, suddenly stopped and watched her walk away. Bobby, who must've been hurt, despite not having the right to be in Rogue's point of view, didn't bother trying to cover up his faults. He comforted Kitty. Took her hand to class. Sat next to her. Passed her notes. She had tried to get a seat in the back, but someone, typical jackass, sped and sat down before she had the chance. She took a seat somewhere in the last row. Jubilee was bending towards her friend. Jubilee had been her other friend, now she wasn't. She had told her friend something, and that friend and her giggled, looked at Rogue, and gave her a look. They turned back, and continued gossiping. Then there was Piotr. He still liked Kitty, despite them having broken up, and usually being Rogue's friend who was always there to talk to, he took a seat behind Jubilee and her friend and ignored her completely. But luckily, he was one of those very few who didn't pull pranks or make her feel as though the world was against her. Warren Worthington, the new guy who didn't know much about things in the school, took everyone else's word for it, and just totally kept out of her way. Rogue had just left the class as Ms. Munroe entered, and she had gone to her room, and stayed there till night. She didn't leave it at all. Even to eat. The next day they threw paper balls at her head, and laughed as she stopped but didn't turn. She could feel Bobby watching her, unsure of what to do. Then, when she turned, he was still looking. He turned away dismissively and began talking with his friends. So she made a choice. The only thing she really knew now was that it wasn't her fault. They had abandoned her. Left her out. Why should she stay? She talked with Storm that very night, and after midnight, after making a few calls, she was gone. It was a good decision. It wasn't as though she was going to beg for their forgiveness. She left. They let her. It was settled. Her birthday had been a month ago. It was three months after Alcatraz. She had just driven away. She was driven away. By them._

Rogue turned and took hold of the tray she had placed the plate and cups on. She turned once more at Storm.

"Maybe it was for the best?" she shrugged, taking the tray and leaving. The silence of the walk upstairs was killing her inside with reflected thoughts. It still stung everytime she thought of it. They were her best, closest friends. Practically family. All of them. And they had just let her walk out like she wasn't ever there. And now, all of the sudden, all she could want was for her and John to just leave the dreadful place.

She turned the knob, and looked at him. He had come out of the bathroom with a shirt on, and he smiled at her. Taking the tray out of her hands and placing it on the nearby table, he started to drink his coffee. "What took you so long?" he asked.

"Got held up," she replied, smiling. He studied her face. It was rather crestfallen, and her eyes were darted at the floor. _Classic Rogue style of avoiding confrontation_, he noted. As he continued to watch her, she looked up at him while he started to eat the bagel.

"John? After…after it's all over, promise me we'll leave…" she looked around uncomfortably, "this place…"

"Yeah," he agreed, nodding. "What's on your mind?"

"I just…everything's coming back to me. Everything that happened here. I haven't really looked at anyone or talked to anyone here…but…I just don't want to face them…"

"Hey," he called to her softly as she began to look at the ground again. With his hand, he softly lifted her face by the chin. "You're all right. You're fine. Forget them. I did that years ago." He stopped. "You've got me now, baby. I'm here for you." She smiled slightly.

"Johnny? What's your story?" she asked as he continued to eat. He stopped, took a gulp of coffee, and looked at her questioningly. "We…we always talk about me. What about you?"

He put down the cup, and rested his elbow on the table, looking at her. He began.

"_Pyro?" It was Mystique. This was before. Somewhat when he had newly joined the Brotherhood. She came in, looking like Rogue. He turned from the dummy he was punching the heck out of, and took a step backwards, stunned. "How's the training?"_

"_I…do I…Mystique," he finally stated, bemused. He turned back and continued to practice. She turned back into herself, and looked at him. _

"_Oh my…you liked her!" she shrieked in true gossip fashion. One of the things that reminded Pyro that she was still…well, not just a cold hearted, cold blooded killer that had no sense of emotion. She kinda reminded him of Jubilee at that moment. He turned to her._

"_What, a guy's not aloud to like someone?" he asked. _

"_Emotion…especially an emotion like love or like…is something that we try to avoid in the Brotherhood." It was Magneto. "We usually have a…" he glanced at Mystique who understood, "way to stop it. It takes…training."_

"_I'm training," Pyro said gruffly, returning to his dummy. _

"_Not this kinda training, boy," Mystique said. She was looking straight at Magneto now. _

_Pyro stopped once more. He looked at the two. "Fine. Make it stop then," he said, leaning back onto the dummy. Magneto smiled slightly._

"_That's the spirit, m'boy," he said. Pyro folded his arms. _

"What kind of training was it?" Rogue asked. He looked uneasy to reply. "Oh," she said, remembering something. "You…you used to like me before?" she asked, blushing crimson. He smiled at her.

"Sorta…just a little. It stopped, right? Magneto's 'training'."

"What kind was it?" she asked. He looked uneasy once more.

"I…they'd…Magneto would manipulate the metal, and I'd have to find them. Throw them off. He'd go on and on and on, until I'd be tired and the metal would hit me." He looked at Rogue, and smiled slightly. "They kept on hitting. Let's just say they cut, beat and scarred the emotion out of me. It was rather custom." He shrugged. "It's made me stronger."

"So…you're…unattached?" she wondered. How could he love her then?

"No, baby. I love you, remember? It just hardened me so that emotions wouldn't affect my judgement and fighting. As we have seen before, the only thing clouded is my judgement." She smiled slightly and blushed. "You gotta stop doing that," he joked. It made her go redder than ever. "So…hardened already. We know what happens next. Blah…Blah…Alcatraz…" She nodded and he went on.

_Somehow, maybe it was because of his lucky stars…but he had woken up and managed to escape before the Phoenix had blown her wig. He had managed to get off the island, and was now, by near day break, in one alley, on the ground, his arms folded on his knees, his head buried in them. He was tired. He could barely get up and walk. He could barely raise his head. But he did, hearing a gun being loaded. He looked up, and saw her. It was the woman who Logan had killed. The one who had tried to kill him and Rogue. _

"_Are you John Allerdyce? Pyro?" she asked, her voice strong and harsh. It also didn't have a tone. _

"_Depends on who's asking," he replied sarcastically. She pulled him up by the collar and pushed him to the wall. _

"_Shut up!" she said. "Answer only when you are spoken to," she threw him across the ground, "you scum." He turned to he faced her._

"_Who shoved that stick up your ass?" he retorted._

"_Guess Magneto didn't train you well enough." She shook her head. "I want it. All of it."_

"_Huh?" he asked. _

"_Don't play with me, scum. You know what I'm talking about. The money." _

"_You're not getting the money," he replied simply. _

"_Then you're willing to place your life on it?" she asked, pointing her gun at him. "I know you, Allerdyce. Your parents. They put aside some money for you. They, unlike other smart people, were capable of loving you. They're dead. Magneto's less than nothing. I need that money to build my army. It will be bigger and better. You can join. Think of it as an…investment."_

"_My loyalty belongs to Magneto only," he stated. _

"_Then you are willing to fall, huh?" she asked. "Let's play a little game, eh?" she asked. "A…cat and mouse game. And then we'll see what you're willing to do and who your loyalty really belongs to."_

"So, here we are, huh?" John said, getting up and looking out the window. He could see Bobby walked outside, his arm around Kitty. They got into his car, and he drove them away. He turned back to Rogue. "I guess Magneto paid her to work for him. I dunno. She chased me for three months. I'm that good," he added, half because of pride, half because he just wanted to for the heck of it. Rogue gave him a doubtful look. "Well, then I called you. I remembered you. You were my friend. I cared about you for a while. I had tried to torch those cops for threatening to hurt you. But back then…you pushed me away without even knowing it. So…after that rollercoaster ride, here we are."

But only one word had caught her. "I pushed you towards Magneto?" she asked him quietly. Was it her fault? She had pushed him to betray the school?

"No, no, no, baby! I have that whole…'power…that good' effect in me. I know you didn't know. I'm just saying…I left. I knew there wouldn't be a chance. Magneto was real convincing. So I left. It's nothing."

"Oh…and…you're worth what?" she asked him, hugging her knees to her chest on the chair.

"Uhm…a few hundred dollars," he said quietly. "My parents…they liked me."

"And you're not worried that I might just stick around for the money?" she asked. He seemed so doubtless. So blindly filled with faith in her. She couldn't believe it.

"Baby, you knew me as John. You knew me as the jackass I was, and admittedly might slightly still be today. I know you're intentions are out of love. Let's say I knew it," he sighed and smiled at her cockily. "And you proved it to me last night." He stared at her up and down, and she put down her legs.

"You're a jackass, John Allerdyce. An arrogant one as well." She got up, and hugged him.

"Baby, you still love me." He smiled slightly. "That's all I need."

He hugged her back, and kissed her slightly.

Later.

Rogue was sitting cross-legged on the bed. John came out of the shower. She was talking, he was getting dressed.

"All the more reason to leave once this is all over. We're supplied. I can get a job. We just…don't have a way of transport." He wiped his hair with a towel, and glanced at her.

"We'll figure it out."

"I just want to leave, Johnny."

"We will, baby. We will."

"Well, it'll have to wait," Logan said, coming in. He looked at the two of them. He had heard the last part of their conversation, but his voice and face held no reaction. He was cold-shouldering Rogue and hating Pyro. That was all they could tell. He looked directly at Pyro as he put his lighter in his back pocket. "There's some news. You might want to hear it. It might get you out of here quicker." He left, and they followed him into the living room.

Rogue looked away as she spotted Bobby and Kitty, standing besides Hank. Piotr was absent, but Warren was there. Storm looked at John.

"Hey. We found out something. It's from Piotr. He's undercover somewhere far in the forests of Alaska. It's covered in snow, you could say. Anyway. He's seen Magneto and a new crew. About five of them. One woman, four men. They're new people. It seems they're recruiting. Piotr also said that he overheard Magneto. We just know that he's taking his new crew in care. They had something with them. It's a woman, her name's Destiny. She can see the future. She might even be able to change it in her own ways. So…if we get her, he will most probably leave you and Rogue alone. Plus we do need your help, John."

It was silent for a while. John looked at Storm. "Okay."

"What?" Rogue asked him.

"Okay," he said, looking at her. She understood. He'd explain himself later.

"Good," Storm said. She smiled then turned to Rogue. "There are still a few students here. Can you stay here? I know…just make sure they'll be all right."

"Oh," Rogue remarked. She nodded. "Okay." She kept her eyes to the ground. She understood that the others didn't think she could do it. She was human. But who the heck were they? They weren't anything to her. Not anymore. She looked up once more.

"Good," Storm said once more. "I'd like to leave tomorrow morning. Early. I don't want anyone to possibly interrupt the encounter with Magneto. No more innocents dying." She dismissed the meeting.

"What if you die?" she demanded upstairs.

"What's the chances of that happening?" he shrugged, lying down on the bed. He looked at her worried face. "I'll be fine. And once it's over, we'll go. We'll leave and start over. Our own lives Rogue. Isn't that what we want?"

"Yeah…it is," she said, still doubtful.

"I can handle it," he assured her. She nodded.

"I'm trusting you," she whisper, placing her forehead against his chest.

"I won't let you down," he promised.

He watched her as she started to brush her hair, looking into the mirror. He looked at her intently. What if he did die? He'd be leaving her behind. Not good. But he was Pyro. He had been carved into an emotionless warrior when it came to battle. He wasn't going to let them beat him down. This was the only chance he'd get to free himself and Rogue. He wasn't going to let anything to hinder their lives together. He just simply loved her too much.

Rogue found him staring. She rolled her eyes and turned to him.

"John, we are not…" she started.

"Nah, nah," he said. He turned. "I'm going to get some sleep. We're leaving tomorrow at four in the morning. Gotta be sharp."

She nodded. Inside she was making a mental wish that he'd be all right. She didn't know what she'd do if he wouldn't be.

And for the last time that night, though hopefully not the last time ever, she took his hand, pulled him closed, kissed him and shared with him one of _their_ moments.


	7. Chapter 6

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

One thought. Running. Someone was following them. Then there was the "Ugh!" sound of relish, as they heard someone jumped and tackle one of them down harshly onto the rough, snow covered ground of the forest. Not only was it dark. It was cold. Made it a really bad battle site. Pyro crashed into the wet snow, and could feel the heat slowly fade from his face. He tried to wrestle off his attacker, since Pryde wasn't really helping. She too suddenly hit the ground, and was trying to push off her attacker, which was holding her in a joke grip, the two of them sliding and slopping from area to area of white snow. Pyro was lucky. He managed to get a shot it, which distracted his attacker momentarily. He pushed the man off and tried to stand up. No use. He was pushed back, and soon the guy he had tried to push away was pounding at him, punching his head side to side. Damn did it hurt. Everything was a blur to him, and he could only feel the numbingly harsh and solid punches coming from seemingly everywhere. He tried to knock his attacker away. No use again. He could hear Pryde. She was squealing and gasping with effort, trying to win her freedom. Then she went silent and he could hear two women grunting.

John found his moment of chance in between. He pulled himself up and head-butted his attacker, sending him reeling. Seeing the action in motion, he couldn't help but agree that Iceman's old tactic of knocking him out at Alcatraz really did work. Huh. He got up, and ran, pulling and flinging away Kitty's attacker, who had her in a choke lock. He was panting. She was breathing harshly, but seemed fine, and pulled him quickly away while their two attackers regained themselves.

She was pulling him away, and soon both of them were tracking through the snow, drenched, cold and exhausted. Not a good start. They had lost the others in the beginning – the team had split up. A bad choice, in Pyro's opinion. But apparently, as Storm had said, it would cover more ground. The snow seemed so deep and endless, that every step made him more and more tired. Then suddenly, as they ran at top speed, a branch whacked at them both. Pryde phased through it. He got whacked back into the snow. Another woman was there, but she looked far more sophisticated than the other two. Her dress seemed to leak into the floor, and her hands were bony, harnessing power over the trees. He stood up, first on his knees, and saw red droplets in the snow. Another one of their new enemies' attacks shot at Shadowcat, but she avoided it once more.

Pyro stood, heavily annoyed by now, and flicked open his lighter. In a flash, a bomb of flames burst behind, around and beneath the woman. It burned her dress. She backed up, her arms raised to cover her face. She suddenly looked at them with such sharpness in her eyes, like knives, and the flames blew out of her area, and turned to a green beam, which hit the two of them. Pryde collapsed. Pyro dropped down to the ground, but wouldn't be put out of his consciousness.

He was fighting for something real important to him. Nothing could stop the upcoming meeting with his old boss. But the new members were strong. Too strong. He sent fire after fire. Ring of burn after ring of burn. She pushed them away softly, and smiled. Then suddenly, she was engulfed in a white blinding light, and in a shriek of loud pain, disappeared. Storm appeared.

"She's teleported," the leader muttered. She pulled up Kitty, who stirred back up.

"He's picked the big leagues this time," Piotr added, coming into the scene, followed by Logan. Their costumes were cut – everyone's was.

"Come on," Wolverine remarked. "The camp's not far away." He turned and marched off, claws tight and out, ready to plunge the life out of anyone.

Pyro felt the cold snow turn to cold water on him. He was heating it up unconsciously. Sometimes he couldn't control his emotions with his power. It'd just work out itself on its own. He was pumped. Ready. "On fire". He walked up with the others.

"What does Magneto want with Destiny?" he heard Pryde ask Storm.

"I'm not so sure…he…Destiny is an incomplete puzzle of a person. Nobody really knows who she is, what she's capable of…stuff like that…" Storm began.

"But they say she can alter the future as well as tell it," Pyro completed. "I've heard," he later added at Storm's surprised look. "Magneto's always been interested in finding her. He's said that she could be the answer to all his problems. All of mutant kind's problems."

"Destiny's not a good person either," Storm continued. "She's on no one's side. But the side with the best offers is the side she's on. Offers as in power."

"Then Magneto's got his work cut out for him," Logan remarked from the front. "What do we do about her?"

"Destiny's got quite a defense, despite being blind. She's apparently got this bow and arrow thing. Highly deadly."

"Won't she also be able to see what someone's going to do?"

"Yeah," Piotr said, smiling. "But when a lot of people do a lot of the same things, at one point, the lady's got to miss a hit."

They heard footsteps in snow. Everyone stopped. Logan took a sniff and continued. In a moment they were joined by the others – Iceman, Archangel, Beast and Jubilee…the new addition as of late last night, as Storm had said. The girl looked a little confused and befuddled. She was new after all. But she didn't have a trace of fear on her.

"Camp's round here," Iceman reported.

"Yes. And all the five new recruits are securing it," McCoy added. "I suggest a little confusion ought to do the work?"

"Are you kidding me? You actually think they'd fall for that?" Pryde asked.

Pyro nodded. "They could. Pawns go first. They don't have that much a matter in the situation of chess, do they? They're just sacrifice."

"Whoa, check out the chess champion," Jubilee remarked, smiling.

"It's his metaphor. But I think Pryde's right as well. They won't fall for it that easily."

"Listen," Jubilee cut in. "I hit one of them with a rock at the back of the head to get him away from Warren, and the guy charged at me. I think distraction is the way to go."

"No more arguing," Wolverine barked. "Fine. Distraction. There are nine of us. Five guards. So five – Bobby, Warren, Hank, Lee and Tin Man – block and bring them far away. The rest of us – Kid, Pyro, Storm and I – head inside. Okay?"

John took a moment to realize the use of "Kid". "Kid" used to be Rogue. He had replaced her. The anger inside him flourished at the Wolverine. The pain he had caused Rogue. But he ignored it. Once this whole thing was over, he and Rogue could leave. They'd be gone for good. Forget all these people.

"Fine," Everyone murmured.

"Two attack each guard, and then one leaves to the core group, and we head for the main cabin. But I have a problem. Logan." Storm had taken charge, and looked at the Wolverine. "You're practically a lying piece of metal. You're staying out. Once we look like we need you, you come in. Hank's joining us." Logan looked pissed off.

"You're kidding me," he said gruffly.

"No, not joking."

"She makes sense, Wolvie," Jubilation Lee said. She smirked but her smile disappeared the minute she saw the feral look on Wolverine's face. She shifted next to Storm and the team turned and walked.

They saw the guards. John was suppose to work with Piotr.

"I heard of you and Rogue," he said quietly, while they awaited Storm's signal. The team had spread out, aligning in front of their enemies.

"Yeah," he said simply, trying to keep thing short.

"Take care of her. She's a good person," he said, sensing Pyro's discomfort and ending the conversation.

They saw Storm's signal, and Pyro ignited a fire ball in his hand. As he did, he heard the slight sound of metal surrounding Piotr's body. He threw the fire ball, and as the thug – a strong built, furious looking large man – started to run, Pyro grabbed at the top branch of a stable-looking tree, and hoisted himself up. The thug and Piotr collided, rumbling on the ground. He ran into the area, and ducked the hit from the woman from earlier. He had jumped onto the ground to avoid the hit, and heard her fight of the ice Drake was fighting her with. Out of the corner of his eye, Pyro saw that Drake's skills had advanced too. He was sending out different-styled, dangerous-looking rows of ice, confusing the woman heavily. He saw fire burning, and took his advantage. He sent off fierce lines in the way of other team mates, helping those who weren't doing so well – like Jubilee. Again, she was new.

He got up once more, and joined Storm, who had brought an even fiercer wind – more fierce than his fire – causing one wall of the cabin to blow off. Lightning struck a continuous boundary around the area, locking them apart from the other team. Destiny was looking at them already from the broken wall, with Magneto behind her, letting the woman have her way. It was obvious. He had earned her trust. Lines from the lightning boundary struck into the area, hitting everything they could and striking holes through the cabin. But inside were various types of metal. And soon, a few circular disks rose, and sharp edges formed. They advanced quicker than ever, at the same time arrow by arrow shot out from Destiny's bow. Pyro found himself on the ground once more. He stood, and using the fire from his lighter, brought out a strong dragon like creature, which swam everywhere.

He had seen the look on Magneto's face. He understood. The old man found him pathetic. He hated that. Soon the dragon was everywhere, and flames dropped around, shooting out towards the cabin. Soon it blew up, but Magneto had turned the metal into forcefields for him and his new recruit, guarding them. Storm let out a gulf of lightning, which just bounced off the two things. Pyro saw Beast and Pryde turn and catch a glance at the back. One of the guards was dead. He had been hit by a disk and an arrow. Jubilee backs off from him, but quickly turned to help Warren. Logan was nearly killing the guy he was against. The man had many scratches already.

Pyro grunted. He walked forward, but soon the metal had blasted out, and a force of magnetism hit him, pushing him harshly back and causing him to hit the ground. The dragon had stopped by now, and creating it had exhausted him. He got up once more, a little off his balance, but all right. Storm sent in more lines of lightning, but Pryde jumped onto her and pushed her down, and both of them disappeared as Destiny fired more arrows. She turned to Hank. She shot out one, which Beast caught, and as the lady was distracted, Pyro had engulfed her bow and arrows in fire, causing her to drop them. They burned to crust quickly, and now she was angry. But the lady had turned to dust. She must have been bitter enough, Pyro thought.

They heard a sword stab, and turned around. As Iceman had struck the woman, she had stabbed him in the side. He backed up, the lady's sword in him. He'd be all right. Pyro was assured the sword didn't hit anything. Storm's boundary had disappeared as well.

"Go," Pyro had gestured to McCoy, who left as soon as he got the message. He turned to Magneto, and ducked another swipe.

Destiny moved to attack him, but Erik Lensherr called her back. "I'll deal with this, Destiny. Go handle his friends."

The woman nodded and left gracefully. She was marching towards Wolverine, ignoring all of the chaos around. John watched her go, and then turned to the man he used to look up to. In truth, if you asked Pyro – merciless and filled with power – he still looked up to him. But John loved Rogue. Nothing came before her. Not even power.

xXx

Rogue looked into her mirror. She looked down, and stared at the table. Her head was clouded with worry. She was begging within that John would come back alive. Even if he didn't have good news. She hoped he'd be fine. This was big. This was a huge chance where she could end up either losing him or gaining him entirely. She looked up at the mirror again, and startled, back up, hitting it with her knee. She turned directly to the woman behind her.

She had jet black, cropped up hair. Her skin was rather pale. She was dressed in dark blue clothes, and she looked so…human.

"Hello," she said, clearly unable to think of anything else to say. She was uncomfortable at being there. Rogue could tell.

"Mystique." Rogue regarded the huge change.

"Rogue," Mystique replied. "We…need to talk." She sat down on a chair, and folded her legs and arms. "I've heard. Of you and Pyro." '

Rogue stared at her disbelievingly. This woman had helped Magneto try to use her to turn innocent people into mutants before. The effort would've killed Rogue and later o n the people as well. She knew Mystique. She was ruthless; a killing machine. Now she looked so human, not lethal. She even looked innocent, but hurt inside. Ofcourse, it must've been because Magneto had abandoned her the minute she turned human. It was bad. Mystique had even taken the bullet for her master, who she adored and served undoubtedly. The bullet ofcourse was an injection filled with the cure. So. There. Now it wasn't Mystique. It was Raven.

Rogue didn't reply, so Mystique continued. "You need to understand, Rogue." She looked a little pained at what she was about to say. Humanity had softened her. "The Brotherhood has one rule. You're in, you're _in_. You're never getting out. The only out you'll see is death. The only way you escape that is prison. But knowing what we've done, prison will result in death as well." She took a breath. "You and Pyro will never be happy together." Pause. "Magneto saw the potential in the boy, and he's not going to let a sculpture of his brilliance go that easily. Or at all." Pause once more. "Pyro knows this as well. But he's stubborn. He won't believe it. But I'm sure he's thought about it. And sooner being together will tear you two apart, whether you like it or not." She looked at Rogue for a response.

"He loves me," she said. It was the only thing she could say in reply.

"He does," Mystique agreed. "He really does. But Magneto will kill him. Or you. Or the both of you. He will make sure Pyro pays for betraying him. For putting his cause as second. Magneto knows as well, Rogue. He knows how much Pyro loves you. He understands the pain it would cause him to lose you. And I'm not talking about losing you in a relationship. Magneto will kill you Rogue. Being with him will hurt you. Physically, emotionally, everything."

"And if I don't care about what happens to me?"

"What about what happens to him? What happens to him if he loses you?"

Silence.

"You know I'm telling you the truth, Rogue. I'm just trying to help. Make up for my wrongs," Mystique said, getting up. She walked to the window, and put a foot out on a railing. She took a step out and clutched onto the railing. "He really does love you," she said once more. Then she lowered herself down, and was gone.

Rogue bent down, and placed her face into her arms. She began to cry. She understood. It was true. Magneto wouldn't let John go. Wouldn't leave them alone. He'd just cause them as much pain as he could. She didn't want John to die. Oh my…she didn't want him to die. She couldn't let him die. Not even for her or for anything. And there he was, risking his life for the both of them. She loved him too much to let him go. _Please be all right, please be all right_, she begged.

Then she found herself murmuring, to no one in particular, "Johnny, please come back. Just please come back."

xXx

"You're powers have developed magnificently. But your amount of usage and timing is pitiful," Magneto remarked. "You're sloppy. I suggest this is the result of…love?" Then his gaze turned serious. "You know the rules, _John_. The rule is, you're in, you're in. You're out, you're dead. Understand, _John_?" Then he was angry. "You are an insolent brat, y'know? I've carved you into a perfect warrior. That's _all_ I ever wanted. To turn you into what _you were meant to be_! A _warrior_. An _unbeatable_ warrior. A god among insects. And _now_ – now you're _nothing_! Scum! _Worse_ than scum…you were a traitor to the X-Men, Pyro. They will never trust you." He smiled. "I'm willing to welcome you back. Your final choice is here. When you say no, you'll be a traitor to me as well. Then, I assure you. I will do _everything_ I can to ensure you feel pain. Torture. Death. Whatsoever. I _created_ you. Created _Pyro_. And you can be damned sure that I _will_ destroy you."

"Take your best shot, jackass!" John said cockily. He pulled back his arm, and released a huge amount of fire. It stopped before Magneto, whose magnetic forcefield guarded him.

xXx

Logan took charged stabs towards Destiny. He gutted his first enemy in a flash, and turned to the newest recruit of the Brotherhood. She avoided and dodged his attacks continuously, and even managed to find time to talk.

"Oh, just _grow_ up," she said. "I _thought_ the Wolverine was great. _Undefeated_. And here you are, weaker than I _ever_ thought. _Damn it_, Logan, grow up. You can't control the way things are. Don't beat up yourself, stay pissed off and act as though you got a stick up your ass. Take charge, Wolverine. That's the only way a leader can act. I guess that's why the X-Men are lead by a _woman_. Tsk, tsk, tsk…back then, this would never happen. You can't even control a _weak_ girl. She's overpowered _you_." Rogue. He knew. She was talking about Rogue. "You know you can't control her anymore." That hit him. He was angry. "Oh, _there_ we are! _Come on_, Logan! Get angry! _Be_ the Wolverine! Don't just take the name!"

He didn't know. Except the next thing, he swerved and ducked, then straightened, and gutted the bitch.

"Darlin', you talk too much," he said. Then he turned to Pyro. "But you may have a point."

xXx

The fire spread out everywhere, and hit the ground, where they flared in the blink of an eye, and headed for his old leader. Again, they were blocked. Grunting with effort, he increased the amount and fierceness of the fire. Soon Magneto's guard would fall. Then it hit. It was loud. It ran throughout the place, and hit everything in its way. Everyone, X-Men, Brotherhood, was thrown back by a force than seemed to cause the heart to beat harshly.

"You're no good, Pyro," Magneto said. He turned, chuckling, and left, his new recruits following. A flash of light ignited, and he was gone.

Pyro turned, Wolverine was right next to him, and the only thing he saw coming was the fist that protruded into his head. He dropped to the ground.

"You're a traitor, Pyro," he said gruffly. Then he pulled him up. "Traitors are meant to be killed." He hit him once more, and kicked him in the gut. "You deserve to die." Then he turned and walked away.

Pyro got up. The others looked on. Jubilee found herself think, _Oh, damn no, Firefly. Do not do that._

But it was too late. He lit a fireball, and threw it. It hit the Wolverine in the back, and he turned. The flames died instantly. He charged, and the two men collided onto the ground. Logan punched him across the head a few times harsh. Blood leaked from his nose and mouth. John head-butted him. To heck with it, his head was already throbbing. He pushed him off. Then began to strike him hard on the head repeatedly. His knuckles began to bleed. Logan's had too, earlier, but they had healed up. Pyro kept hitting him and hitting him and hitting him.

"Fuck you, Logan!" he screamed. "Just fucking leave me and Rogue alone. Damn it! You don't own her! Especially after the way you've treated her!"

"Storm," Hank said, distantly away. He was bent over Bobby, who was watching the fight, shaking his head. "We've got a situation," McCoy added into the tiny microphone tucked under his ear. A communicator. "I'm just saying it could end bloody." Pause. "Yeah. It's over. Magneto's gone. Destiny's dead. Logan killed her. It looks like he's going to kill John too…"

Logan shoved off Pyro, and extended his claws. Jubilee jumped and pulled his arm back.

"Damn it, Wolvie! Control yourself!" she said. He pulled his arm out of her grasp.

"No. This punk is gonna get what's coming." He marched to Pyro, who got up.

"Bring it on, Logan," he added, smirking. Wolverine tackled him down, and raised his claws. Pyro rolled at the right time, and they hit him in the side as well. Logan retracted his claws.

Hank pulled him off. "Logan!" he yelled. He pushed him back, and checked Pyro's wound. Blood had started to slowly leak through the three holes. "Jubilee, got help Bobby," Hank added as a jet started to land from above. Storm and Pryde. As the door came down, Pryde ran for Bobby, starting to stutter, asking him different questions. "Piotr!" Hank called. Colossus arrived, and heaved Pyro's arm over his shoulder, and half-dragged him towards the jet.

"Nice way to try and get yourself killed," Piotr commented, giving a small laugh.

Storm however, was livid. She was rather quiet about it, but the ride home was highly uncomfortable. Hank escorted both injured men to the Infirmary, where he and Storm began to patch them up. They could hear yelling – female and male – in the background, and Hank shook his head.

"Ah…" he said, looking at Pyro. "I think Rogue knows."

The doors parted and in she came. Her hair swished back and forth as she approached John, and kissed him lightly. Storm looked away respectively, and Bobby looked annoyed.

"You okay?" she breathed, relieved he was alive.

"Yeah. Peachy," he said sarcastically. Then he softened. "I'm fine."

"I think you can go," Hank interrupted. "No pressure on the wound," he added as Rogue half-supported Pyro.

As the Infirmary doors shut behind them, he pulled his arm back from around her neck, and placed it around her waist.

"I _can_ walk y'know." He looked deep in thought as they walked to their room. It was already morning, and the sun shined through the windows. He turned to her and shut the door from behind her. She leaned back to it, and his lips rested on hers.

"I…" he began. "Rogue…" but she ignored his tries at talking. Her lips often found their way to his, and her hand took his firmly. He just shut up for the moment, and enjoyed the contact. Enjoyed actually being with her again. He found a moment in between the kisses and told her, looking deeply into her eyes.

"Let's get married."

**Tell me what you think…)**

**Will update as soon as I can…**


	8. Chapter 7

**Thanks to all those who sent reviews…sent more please?**

_**Traitors: Chapter 7**_

The words echoed in Rogue's mind for a few moments, but what seemed like an eon. Did he just say that? Did he just really say that? He really wants that? He's even actually thought of that? Why…? It was something she wanted too. Something she wanted for later. But…maybe in some crazy, unknown way, this made sense. And the way he had said it. _Let's get married_. It wasn't a question. It was a statement, with enough space for hope and a sense of doubt. She just couldn't believe he was asking this. She had thought…or atleast it was her past impression that Pyro never really stuck to a relationship. Then again, weren't _they_ an example that he really did?

She snapped back to the present, and looked at John. He had a look of stress on his face, as well as a look of anxiety and impatience. Then it looked as though he got it, then he just looked disappointed and weirdly enough, quite understanding.

"Rogue?" he asked. She opened her mouth to say something, but closed it again, unable to think of anything. "Say something. Please."

"I…I don't know." He nodded, and backed away from the door. He turned and she rushed in front of him. "No, no, Johnny. I don't know. Is it a really good choice? For now. Think about it. Magneto's not going to leave us alone…and then there's the whole…Brotherhood law thing…"

He stopped her at that. "What? How do you know about that?" he asked her quickly.

She sighed. "Mystique came. She talked to me. She explained the whole thing." Rogue looked up at him. "I don't want you to get hurt."

He snorted. "Come on, Rogue. We all know that we'll be in and out of a few injuries every now and then." She didn't loosen up. "Erik's smart. He will realize that he's lost. He will realize that there's nothing he can do –"

"Except kill one of us," she interrupted.

"Well, if we break it off, then we'll end up losing each other. If we stay together, we again might end up losing each other. What's marriage gonna do?"

"Are you serious? Do you even know what you're talking about, John?"

"Yeah," he said soothingly. He hugged her, and pulled her close to his chest. "You and me. Altar. Priest. Vows. Then you becoming…" he took a breath and smiled slightly. "Mrs. John Allerdyce."

Rogue looked up at him, and smiled slightly. He leaned in, and kissed her.

"I just don't want you to get hurt."

"Then let's go. Get out of here. I'll teach you how to fight. I'm good," he said.

"And oh so modest," she added, rolling her eyes. In a good way, ofcourse.

He smirked. "Well, baby, I'm just saying. We could…if you look at it in a way…get this done right. I could teach you. I know you got the potential. Then we could move somewhere. And if we have to leave, we'll leave and move somewhere else. We have the money. We could get part time jobs…stuff like that."

She nodded, and let him hug her again.

"Trust me. We could make this work."

"I'm sorry…I want to…I really do, Johnny…I just…it doesn't sound like the right time."

He looked ready to retort, so she broke out of the hug, smiled at him and left the room. She needed to get some fresh air.

xXx

"Hey, Stripes," someone called as Rogue stared out at the gates of the mansion. Behind her, Wolverine came up.

Rogue had her arms folded, deep in thought. She didn't even realize Logan was talking.

"Rogue!" he said more firmly. She didn't jump, or show much of any realization, but turned calmly to him, looking sad. She didn't show him her emotions, but looked at him, harsh and cold. He had hurt John. She loved John. _Do the math_, was all she could think. _How could you, Logan? Just accept it and get on with life…_

"Hey," she said, turning back to the front.

"It's okay," he said. "You don't have to look at me if you don't want to…I've just been wondering. It's almost three in the afternoon…and I'm quite surprised to see you _un_attached to your boyfriend."

"Wow," she said, voice filled with sarcasm. "You actually took five moments out of your life to notice that."

"I don't like this side of you, Rogue. You have to understand why I did what I did. Why I'm against this." Pause. "Do you?"

_Trick question, Logan?_ She couldn't help thinking. _Rhetorical one, maybe? Fine, then._

"Enlighten me, please, Logan," she said coldly, glancing at him for a moment then turning back to the front.

"He's Pyro, Rogue. No matter how many times you call him Johnny, inside he's Pyro. He's holding it in, I know. Because he 'cares for you'…but believe me. At one point, he will…get bored." She didn't move an inch. No response. He carried on. "He's a traitor. You understand that right? By being with him you're being a traitor too. He's dangerous, Stripes. I'm just trying to protect you. Either he'll hurt you emotionally…or physically. I don't want either to happen." Pause once more. "He loves you. Fine. He does now. He's not the right guy."

"Oh, and Bobby was?" she snapped back at him darkly.

"No. He wasn't," Logan replied strongly. "He was an inconsiderate dumbass to you. I don't want Pyro to get you hurt."

Rogue took deep breaths.

"Everything…except Storm," he added quietly and quickly, "is against you on this. Pyro's not a good person."

"He's trying to change."

"But he can't."

"How do you know, huh?" she demanded loudly, turning to him and coming close. Her voice turned quieter, but trembled in anger and frustration. "How can you say you get it when you don't know how I feel? How he feels? He cares about me, Logan. He loves me. I love him."

She turned around, but was only half way when he said, "Then you don't want him to get hurt, huh?" She turned back to his understanding look.

"Why do you care, Logan? Why can't you get this into your thick skull? You don't care, Logan. Not sincerely. You never did. I gave you an obligation – a mission, you could say – protect me. I needed someone to look out for me. When I turned human, the contract was torn, burned and thrown away. Where were you, Logan…when Bobby cheated on me? Backing up and _protecting_ Kitty. Not me. Kitty. You don't care, Logan. Take another glance, huh? You just let me leave. Again, no care. Back then you knew I'd end up taking the cure. 'I'm not your father, I'm your friend'. I didn't need a friend. I needed someone to look out for me. Have my back. Not Pryde's."

"Fine, Rogue. Marie. Whatever. Fine. You got this whole thing figured out, right? Then why are you avoiding your love? Huh? Why have you been out of that room since early morning? Why have you been away from everyone? What? What confrontation are you avoiding now? What confrontation are you afraid of, huh?" he demanded.

She shook her head. "Just leave me alone. That's all I want from you, Logan…" she said.

"I know you're scared," he said, trying to appeal to her once more. "I know you're scared of getting hurt, kid. I know you're scared of losing him. I know you when you're in love. I've never seen you like this before. You care about him. Damn lot. I know you don't want to lose him. And I know you feel like you're going to. Now tell me why."

"I don't want to talk about it," she said simply, tearing up. She crossed past him, but he pulled her back, and pulled her close as she began to cry.

"I've always been here, kid. Just watching out for you. Doesn't mean I have to be next to you."

She kept sobbing. He could feel the pressure of her pain. Her tears were falling out quickly. She was shaking. Throbbing.

"I know you. I know how to take care of you. I beat up Bobby the day after you left. I told Kitty off. I practically forced the hate out of everyone in this school. They're ashamed of themselves, kid. I did that. I know how to take care of you."

She wouldn't stop. Her hair covered her face. He couldn't really see her, but held her tighter.

"I hurt Pyro. I know. I know how much you two care about each other…but you and me know this won't last."

Wrong words.

She looked up at him. Yet…yet it made sense. In a weird way. Would it last? How could it? People trying to kill them…people trying to break them up. Everyone was against them. Everything was against them.

"I don't want to lose him," she said, covering her face with her hands. "I just don't want to lose him."

"I know." He didn't approach her. She could handle herself. She understood what he was doing too.

"Is there…any possible way we can stay together?" she asked.

He shook his head. "I don't even think the mansion can keep you safe. At one point…this will have to end."

She shook her head.

"It doesn't…it just doesn't." Pause. "There has to be a way."

She pulled down her arms, and ran into the mansion.

xXx

_Damn_, John thought. He sat on the bed, taking a pain killer. Had he just freaked away the woman he loved? Rogue hadn't talked to him at all so far. Practically avoiding him entirely. He thought at the time it was a good idea. To him it made sense. Screw them all. Those who said and did things to make sure they wouldn't be together. Screw them all. He loved her too much to care what the heck they thought. She was his. He was hers. They couldn't change that. He was ready to die for her. Like heck if he was ever going to lose her. And this was a good way to ensure that. Atleast…he thought so.

The door opened, and shut harshly as Rogue stared at him, her hair falling all over her face. He jumped up, hid the look of pain, and rush to her, placing each hand on the side of her head. Ignoring her teary eyes and reddening face, he pulled her in close, and kissed her, repeatedly. She placed her arms around his neck, and then lowered them down to his back, rubbing his back up and down.

She backed up to say something, but he placed a finger on her lips. This was it. Earlier she never really specified yes or no. Now she had to answer him. "I'm going to ask you again." Pause. "Rogue…will you marry me?" she looked ready to reply. "No means no. Yes means yes."

She understood. Yes meant they'd get married. No meant the entire thing was off. She knew John knew too. He knew that they couldn't stay together. They'd get hurt…maybe be killed. It was in or out. She knew he was in. She knew he couldn't bear to lose her. She felt the same. She opened her mouth to reply.

"No," he said. "Rogue…this might be the last time we're together. Let's make it count. Whatever your answer is…"

He kissed her again, and they went back to their earlier position when she pulled back again.

"John Allerdyce…I will marry you," she said surely.

"Now?" he asked.

"Now?" she echoed, confused.

"Now. So we can get out of here. Get as far as we can." He paused for a moment. "Now, baby?"

"Now, Johnny," she said softly, kissing him.

xXx

It had started to rain by the time John had managed to get the money out of the ATM. They didn't have an umbrella. It didn't matter. They bought the wedding rings and he got her an engagement ring. For some strange reason, there was around a thousand dollars in his account. And soon, after he had taken the money, a text message hit Rogue's phone. Aparently, Mystique had stolen the number while visiting Marie, and the message simply said this

"Know your decision. Understand. Trying to help. Wish you luck."

They got a taxi, and managed out of the city. He couldn't help but grin at the thought of that letter they had left at the mansion. No one could see his grin however. The cap he had on had been jammed tightly downwards, so no one could see his face.

_Dear Academy people,_

_Thanks. Really. Thank you for having let us stay there. But we had to leave. I love John. He loves me. We need to stay together. So…we're getting married. I'm gonna take a guess here and say that by now, Logan, you've snatched this letter. Yeah, big boy. I'm getting married. I know you care. I know you know how to take care of me. But do that later. I just need to be with him. I guess this makes me and John traitors now, doesn't it? Well…that's all right with us. _

_Love, Marie_

Rogue wrote it. Damn. He had hoped to write it. But perhaps his letter would've had more...uh…unnecessary use of bad language. He pulled her close. They were both slightly drenched. Making it into a nearby town, he called to the driver to stop, then paid the man. They got out with their bags, and mainly just rushed into the place. He could see a small chapel, and pulled his soon to be bride there. They were drenched. The sun was setting. The rain was pouring.

In Rogue's eyes, this was highly romantic. John took her hand, and bended on one knee. He took out the engagement ring. She didn't really know he had gotten that.

"Once more," he said. "Marie D'Ancanto, will you marry me?"

"Yes, I will marry you, John Allerdyce," she replied, blushing. He placed the engagement ring on her finger, and took her into the chapel. It was empty.

Rogue took off her cap and approach the priest at the altar, looking at him from her hood. It was her green jacket. The one she always wore. He looked up at her, and smiled a friendly smile.

"Hi," she said, smiling back. "Me…me and my boyfriend. We want to get married. But we really, _really_ need to do it now. We have no choice. We're being chased by people who don't want this. Could you…please marry us?"

"Well…" he said hesitantly.

"Please," John added, coming closer. "We ready to pay you and we really need this."

"Okay," the priest sighed. John took off his cap. The priest gasped, but then smiled understandingly.

He began. "We're going to have to shorten this, you know right?"

They nodded, and turned to each other, drenched, but ready for it.

It was quick. He said the things like "In sickness and in health"…then it came up to the one line. They had been ready for this. They _wanted_ to get married. Be each others for real.

"Till death do you part"

John took a breath at that single moment, and the thoughts poured in.

They also had to say their vows, and these were rushed, and not thought out. But somehow, they were good.

"Marie…I love you. So much, it hurts. Not in a bad way. I want to be next to you everyday. To wake up with you by my side. To sleep with you in my arms. To be able to hold you close when you're sad. To be the reason you're happy and laughing. To not cause you pain, but happiness. I will make sure that no one hurts you. I'm ready to change for you. I love you so much, baby."

Tears swelled up in her eyes, but she said hers.

"Johnny. I don't care what other people say. I don't care what they do. I will be by your side. I want to be with you. Forever. I know it sounds cheesy. But I want to be with you. My heart is yours. You make me happy. You're there. You're there for me. You care for me. You love me. And I always want you to know that I love you too. I love you so much. I will never leave your side. Johnny, John, Pyro…I love you."

He smiled at that.

They finished everything, the rings as well, and the priest went on the "I do"s.

"I do," Rogue said softly.

"I do," Pyro said. He was reassured. They both were. They were in love. Nothing could change the way he felt. Nothing could change the way she felt.

"Then you may kiss the bride," the priest said.

And ironically, but sweetly enough, John pulled down Marie's hood, and smiled, seeing her blush, then kissed her deeply. It was an unmoving kiss, but one that seemed to feed on itself repeatedly and grow. It just wasn't obvious. But it was great. He backed off and took her hands.

He announced them as man and wife, Rogue remembered and savored in the thought as they pulled out of the chapel.

"Thank you," they both said as they left. The priest folded the money they had given him and put it into the donations box.

It had stopped raining. He stopped outside, and kissed her. They had atleast a day before being discovered. He had already thought this out thoroughly. He kissed her deeply.

"I love you," he murmured.

"I love you too," she said, looking at him and kissing him once more.

"Baby," he said, taking her close to him.

"Hmm?" she asked.

"We have one night before we have to start running. Let's make it count," he said, grinning. She smiled too.

One thought. Motel.

xXx

From there, it was obvious how it would turn out. He could part from her, but pulled her close, and kissed her deeply. Their kissed grew longer and hotter and deeper. Soon the clothes were off, and the covered used. He ran his hand through her hair repeatedly, and she rubbed hers on his body.

They made it worth, and sometime in the middle of night, he pulled her close under the covers, and hugged her, breathing in her scent. He loved her. Too much. _Way_ too much. He'd protect her. Care for her.

"I love you…" he murmured, though he knew she couldn't hear him.

Traitor he was. Her husband he'd be forever.

**Again…I give you the same message. Will update as soon as I can.**


	9. Chapter 8

**A/N: Thanks to all who reviewed. Hope you like this.**

_**Traitors: Chapter 8**_

"John?" Rogue murmured. She felt around his side of the bed, unable to feel his arm around her anymore. She got up, pulling the covers up to her chest. He was no where in sight. His clothes were gone. "John?" she asked once more, louder. She got up, and dragged the blanket with her, it being wrapped around her from the chest. She picked up her duffel and entered the bathroom, dropping the blanket outside.

Quickly getting dressed, she rushed out of the toilet door and nearly jumped. Shutting her eyes to try and calm herself, she took deep breaths.

"You have to stop doing that," she murmured.

Raven smiled at her. "Aw. Now what fun would that be?" She backed up and fell into a chair, crossing her legs and arms. "So…" Pause. "How's it been?"

"It's been less than twenty-four hours," Rogue muttered, stepping out and putting on some socks and shoes. She looked back up at the woman. "What are you doing here?"

"Checking in on the both of you. Just making sure everything's all right."

Rogue nodded and stood up. "Yeah. Well. Thanks, Mystique. For the money. For your concern. Whatever. But I have to go find John, okay?"

She got up to the door and turned the knob. Stopping she turned back, and scanned through the bed and then through the duffel. Where was her phone? Damn. She turned back to Raven, looking flustered. Raven, however, was smiling.

"Come on, kiddo. Relax. You just married the guy you love. What up with the grouchy exterior?"

"I just…" her expression softened. "I'm a little nervous, all right? It's…it's dangerous now. Too dangerous. I just don't want to lose him."

"Then you shouldn't have married him, huh…" Raven drawled. She stood, and Rogue froze.

She shrugged. "_Why_ are you _here_?" Pause. "Mystique, why are you _really here_?"

"What…I can't be?"

Everything started to piece together into Rogue's mind as her questions spilled out. "Why'd you steal my number? Why not just ask? Why help us? How did you know we were here?"

Mystique dropped her arms to her side. Her face showed a hint of sadness. The window broke. Two men had just come through it, both of them now wrestling on the floor. Rogue screamed. The glass shattered at her and she held her arms up to guard herself. Mystique didn't even flinch. Her skin changed quickly and she became blue once more.

"What?" she demanded strongly, stepping slowly towards the girl as Rogue slowly stepped back. "You think that the minute Magneto gets his powers back he won't search for me? He never forgot me. Always knew I'd be loyal. Willing to help." Rogue hit the dresser as John stood, but was thrown into the wall, crashing it.

Rogue felt behind her. Left out scissors. Good. She took them and stabbed towards the woman, but got flipped over and landed on the ground on her back. The impacts caused her to let go of the scissors, which slid towards John, who sat up. He grabbed them, and stabbed his attacker in the knee. Standing up in a shot, he threw the scissors and they hit Mystique in the arm. Once again. She didn't even flinch. Rogue got up and took the chair, hitting her with it. She fought it off.

"How can I be that strong?" Mystique taunted. John took Rogue's hand. He jerked her behind him, and let out a gulf of fire, which blew back Mystique and half the wall behind her. Pulling his wife, they jumped out of the window, onto the staircase and trampled down. They jumped off the last two steps and ran through the parking lot and into the sidewalk of the motel. They wouldn't stop running.

A small forest.

"Inside," John panted.

"John, what happened?" Rogue demanded once they had run far into the wood. She looked at him, and took deep breaths, looking around. She was flustered. Confused. Everything was happening so fast. He sensed her fear.

"Hey," he said. She didn't listen. He took her, placing a hand softly on each side of her face and said calmly, "Hey." She looked at him with her deep brown eyes. He took a few deep breaths. "Listen. We can get out of this. Trust me."

"I trust you," she replied. He stopped her before she could say another word.

"I'll protect you."

"Let's just get out of here." She looked close to tears. She couldn't take it. She thought she could. _How can he still… look at me like this?_ She wondered, her eyes closed, trying to recollect everything. _I'm supposed to be brave. I wanted this too. _

"I'm sorry," she breathed. "I _am_ pathetic. I can't even take this," she said. They she took his hands down.

"No. No. Don't worry." He glanced around. "I woke up and saw them in the parking lot. Four of them. I took out one. Now there are just three. And I don't think Mystique's awake." His eyes traveled from side to side, looking and listening for any signs of danger. He took her hand. Then turned to her. "Rogue. Honey. I need you to help me. They're good. Real good. Can you?"

She nodded, and swallowed once. Then, breathing properly yet frequently, she let go of his hand.

"Duck!" he yelled, pulling her down. The ax went past their heads and into a tree. Pyro. Rogue saw him at a glance, and saw Pyro. The one she knew would always come out when she needed him. She pulled out the ax and turned, giving a grunt as she pushed back the ax he was holding, which, in turn, pushed the guy back as well.

She caught another glance. Pyro pulled his hand back and sent another raging fireball at the second attacker, another guy. This one merely chuckled, and with a wild look in his eyes, screamed, "You're gonna have to do better than that, Pyro!" The flames hit the guy. Scorched him a bit, yeah. But he was standing still. Sweating like heck, and charged at him. He knocked him into a tree and took him by the chin, slamming his head into it. Then, with somewhat consciousness, he lifted Pyro. "After I kick your fuckin' ass, I'm gonna kick you're girlfriend's too!" he hollered. John opened his hand. Fire sparked out and exploded, one after one, they gunned at the guy like bullets from a machine gun. Each pellet on fire, burning a bit of flesh. Still, the only thing that happened was the guy turning redder and angrier. He pulled out a knife. "Cheers, you fucked up piece of shit!" he said, pushing it forward and pulling Pyro by the shoulder. He quickly turned, and it hit him in the arm. The knife protruded to the other side of his arm. The blood didn't drip fast though. It was falling slowly. Pyro pulled his head down. He looked close to giving up.

Rogue pushed back her attacker once more, and blocked herself with the ax. She whirled, and tried to cut him up, but instead he grabbed her by the legs and slammed her down. He pried the second ax from her fingers with a fierce effort. _What are these guys? Pro-wrestlers or something?_ she thought. She kicked up, and hit him in the gut. He punched her in the face. She couldn't see John anymore. She tried to push him off, but he tried to choke her with the ax handle. Then he got pulled back viciously, and fell to the ground. The ax got pulled up again, and the two handles knocked the guy continuously, then let him back out and fall to the ground. There was such a fearfulness she could feel from him. She had never seen this side of him before. He was pissed. Majorly. Rogue felt like she couldn't stand up from the nervousness running up and down her. She placed her arms around him.

He pushed her off slightly and she stood up carefully. He approached the guy on the ground. He was bleeding from the head and lips. His eyes held so much fire. He was angry. He jerked the guy by the shirt, and he chuckled lightly, blood falling from his mouth.

"Listen to me, you scum-filled, fucked up asshole. You treat my wife like that again. I'll end you. Touch her again. Just once more. I'll kick your ass. Kill you." He dropped him on the ground, and the man continued to chuckle slightly. He placed a protective arm around Rogue and she glanced back and saw the guy Pyro had been fighting earlier. He was in a pile on the ground, dusted and bleeding. She took the hand around her shoulder in hers, and laid her head on his shoulder. She had never seen this side of him.

xXx

"I told you," he said, sitting in the bus later on. She sat next to him and laid her head on his shoulder once more, while he took her hand in his. "I'm always gonna protect you, baby. Always." He leaned in and kissed her on the top of the head. John once more. Calmer. She could feel his heat. It was rather comforting. "I love you."

"Johnny…" she whispered much, much later on as they exited the bus. He took out his wallet and took out some money from the ATM. He pocketed it with the rest of the cash he had taken out earlier.

"We're going to be okay," he said, taking her hand tightly in his. Another deserted town. Another motel. Another night. He pulled her closer, and put his arm around her shoulder once more. "No one's gonna separate us, okay? No one."

He pulled her into the room, kissing her lightly on the neck. She smiled and moved to the bed, dropping onto it.

"You all right?" he asked.

She stared at him and smiled slightly, taking off her jacket. She dropped it on the bed and sat down, shifting her gaze to the floor, breathing deeply. He sat down next to her, and put a hand on her shoulder. His warmth zipped right through her. She turned to his concerned gaze, and her hand rested softly on his. He took her hand tightly in his.

"I'm fine." It sounded too quietly said. He knew something was wrong. Her hair fell down, covering her face from him.

"Did I do something?" he asked her. No response. "Rogue," he said, a little frustrated. "Just tell me." She shook her head lightly. "Is it because of the way I…erm…handled the situation with those thugs?" No response. But he felt as though he had hit the reason. "I was trying to protect you." No response. "Are you scared of me?"

"No," she said, croakily. "I'm scared of them." She tucked her hair behind her ears, and looked straight ahead at the dresser and wall before her. "Is there anything we can do to make them stop?" He opened his mouth to say something, but couldn't think of anything.

"We'll have to think this out," he finally said. He stood and paced before her. "How…how could they have known where we were? Callisto's toast. No chance she could've sensed my power…" He stopped. "Mystique came to you, right?" Rogue looked up at him and nodded. "Then…then she sent us a text message…" Pause. "She's been trying to help us." One more pause. "Rogue, where's your phone…?" he asked. She looked up at him, took out the phone from her pocket and handed it to him. He took it, and turned it over, staring at it. "I think we have to leave…" he began.

"Sure…" she said, getting up.

"Wait…" he added, thinking thoroughly of what they were going to do. "I'll be right back. They come, you get outta here faster than anything. If things go bad, we'll…we'll meet at the Academy, okay?"

She nodded quietly. He sat down next to her once more and took both her hands in his.

"Baby, I love you. Okay? I'm doing this because I love you."

"I love you too." He nodded, and put the phone in his pocket.

"Pack incase. If they come, go to the Academy." He took out fifty dollars and handed it to her. "Stay safe." He left the room and darted out of the motel.

xXx

He arrived at the bus stop once more, and through an open window, threw the phone in. It hit a thud, but because of the passengers coming on board, no one notice. He placed his hands deep into his jacket's pockets, and walked through the streets.

They had tracked them through the phone. At one point he smiled slightly at the Brotherhood's attempt. It was a good try. Not good enough. Heck, was he crazy? He had constantly wondered if he was a complete moron for marrying Rogue and getting her into this mess. A) if the Brotherhood caught up again, it wasn't as though he could stop them from hurting him and Rogue. Not forever, anyway. And B) if Logan found them, he, John, was a dead man.

People walked by, but he didn't bother noticing them under his cap. All he cared about was getting back to Rogue. Hopefully she was still there. He walked up the stairs, and into the room. She was inside, looking out the window. She turned instantly at the sound of the door opening, but calmed down at the sight of him.

"They've been…tracking us," he said. She got up and walked to him, then hugged him tightly. He kissed her on the cheek.

"Eat something," she said, leading him to the table.

He sat down, but shook his head. He didn't feel like eating. Not at the moment. She ignored his protest, and took the spoon and forced some food into his mouth. He ignored the spoon at first, but like before when they had first stayed in a motel together, he gave up, and took a bite. She smiled slightly, and her hand rested on the table. He saw her ring. Wedding and engagement. He smirked.

"So…" she said. "You've won the girl, haven't you, John?"

"Yeah," he said simply. He looked at her. "It's good to know."

xXx

She woke up the next morning under the covers once more. It had been a…fun night. She was still exhausted. Getting up, she got dressed, and walked to the table, a little confused, and a lot worried about John not being there again when she woke up. A note was placed on the table.

'I love you. So much.'

It told her he was gone. She sat down at the table, the note in hand, and buried her head in her arms. She was crying softly. He was gone. She stared at the note, and turned it around. There was writing there too.

'I'll be back as soon as I can. I promise. Don't worry about me. Again. I love you. Always will. Always have.'

She smiled slightly. He'd come back. He _promised_. She laid her head back in her arms. John knew what he was doing.

But still. It was too soon. They'd just gotten married. They were in love. She couldn't lose him this soon. She knew somehow. This day would come where they'd be seperated, temporarily or permanently. She just wished it was temporary. She loved him too much. And he loved her as well. It was too soon. The thought kept running back and forth through her mind. He knew what he was doing. And he was doing it for her. For them. So they could live together in peace. She glanced up once more, and found a phone on the table.

One more note.

'I have the number. I'll call you when I can.'

She wiped away her tears, but her hands covered her face, and she began to cry.

It was too soon.

**A/N: I'll bring back John soon…update as soon as I can. Review, please?**


	10. Chapter 9

**A/N:Thanks once again to reviewers!**

**_Traitors: Chapter 9_**

John stood by the lake of the town. He was standing on the edge of its deck. The water was swishing back and forth with the wind. He turned around and smiled. A few hours ago, he had abandoned his wife alone in a motel room. The woman he loved. Practically left her. Alone. That hurt. He couldn't bear doing that. She might end up hating him. Forgetting him. But this needed to be done. It was for them. For him and her.

Looking at him were three men. He didn't care. He'd keep fighting until they'd stop. He'd find a way to get Magneto to leave them alone. The men looked ready to kill.

"Well, guys," he began. "What are we waiting for?!" he smiled once more. They started to attack him, but he managed to maneuver around them.

The first guy he threw over his shoulder and into the water. He screamed harshly and then gutted the second guy with his fist. The man itself roared and threw John over his shoulder. The third guy and second guy both grabbed him and held him down. The first guy pulled himself up and punched John back and forth in the head. The blood flowed. He kicked upwards and sent the first guy flying. He pushed off the second guy and tried to hit the third guy, but was blocked. He continued and hit the guy, and while he was momentarily flustered, pushed him into the water. He pulled up his hand, and a fireball flamed. It grew and blasted the second guy, sending him flying, and making him hit the wood. Pyro ran up to him and kicked him into the water as well. He kept running and ended up in the forest. His neck hit the hard arm of another man. He fell down onto his back. The pain in his neck and the impact of the hard ground shook him for a while.

He was pulled up, or jerked up, by the collar and thrown forward, where he was flipped and landed on his back again. He got up, and opened his lighter. The fire burst out again, and set onto the man who threw him. The guy ran around, his jacket aflame. He threw it off, and gazed at Pyro with his red eyes.

"Gambit!" the first man yelled. "Get the heck outta here! You have a mission, don't you?!"

The red-eyed man looked ready to retort, ready to fight back, but instead rubbed his chin, and stalked out of the forest, looking pissed off. Pyro turned to the first man, and the flames burst. More people came up, and the fires divided, multiplied, enlarged and strengthened. They went around, everywhere, zipping past trees. One fell, and separated him from a couple of men. The tree caught on fire, and he ran through the other trees. He jumped and rolled down as one tried to ambush him, and scrambled up to his feet to get out of the place. He got tackled, and both him and his attacker rolled on the ground. As he pushed, or tried to push, off the guy who had started to hammer his head, he couldn't help but wonder.

That Gambit guy…he looked mysteriously dangerous. What 'mission' was he sent on? Did it concern Rogue? It sent chills up his neck, and made him want to push the guy off even more. He managed, and he punched him in the middle of the face, hearing the crack of the nose.

He got up, and walked away, limping slightly because of a new found pain in his right ankle. He managed past some trees and ducked behind a good one. He heard the running of many, and lit up another fireball. It shot out into a line that all of them passed, and their ankle's caught on fire. The fire reached up to their clothes, their coats and pants and shoes, and they screamed and focused on putting out the fires.

_Rogue…_

He jumped over fallen logs and other stuff, and made it into the main road. It was empty except for a few cars. He managed to catch a glance at his clothes and his state. Dirtied up and a little bruised, with a little blood. He shook off all feelings of pain or ache, and continued on. He saw two cars drive up. One of them stopped nearby him, and the doors opened. Two people went out. A woman and a man. Mystique, now in her blue form, bandaged up from the last encounter, and Magneto, who smiled slightly.

"Still as powerful as I knew you, aren't you, Pyro?" Erik said.

"Ah, well," John huffed. "I'm young." He bended down slightly and tried to regain his breaths.

"I'm pleased to see you've managed through the forest." Pause. "Nothing ofcourse I didn't see coming."

"Why don't you just leave me and Rogue alone?!" John screamed at him to get his attention.

Magneto's face turned from kind to dark. "I believe I've mentioned it, but if I haven't, or if you haven't gotten it through your _thick_, _insolent_ _skull_, I don't like losing my _strongest_ warriors unless there's _nothing_ I can do. And the only time there's nothing I can do is when they're _dead_. You're not dead, Pyro. _You're_ in love. As…_sickening_ as it may sound."

"Pyro. See the light! We're the ones you've gotta side with. We're the ones who understand you! The only ones who understand you. She doesn't. She's scared of your power. Of Pyro. She wants John. You're not John. You can't be John anymore. You're Pyro. There is no John. What is your true name, boy?! It's Pyro. We've discussed this before. You said it yourself. Your true name is Pyro. Who you are is Pyro. Who you want to be is Pyro. Not John. John was weak. John showed human emotions. John was human." Mystique said. She sighed as he rolled his eyes.

"So, what, I just forget about Rogue? Forget about my wife?!"

"She's not Rogue, Pyro," Mystique said, now rolling her eyes. "She's Marie. A pathetic, worthless, weak human who has no sense towards mutanity and has betrayed it! She's a traitor!"

"And so am I." Pause. "Now. I'm a traitor. To you, to the X-Men. I'm not a traitor to my wife. I'm not a traitor to Rogue."

"You're making a mistake, and we are trying to knock some sense in you without being physical!" Mystique stressed.

Magneto held up a hand to silence her. She fell silent.

"Don't make us do this the hard way, Pyro. Don't make us do something we'll regret."

He shook his head and took a step forward. The flames burst out wildly everywhere, and once more, he tried. He tried harshly what he had done in success before. Transported. Within the fire. It worked, and he appeared in the motel room once more. The flames burst out and then dissolved instantly. He looked around, and found no one. No sign of Rogue. He walked out of the place, and got stopped by the manager, Lauren.

"John!" she said loudly, coming up to him. He didn't stop. "Wait!" she called louder. He stopped finally and turned around. "This. From Marie." She gave him a letter and walked away.

He walked quickly for the bus stop or for a cab. Found a cab and got in.

"New York," he said firmly. The driver nodded and started to drive. He read the letter.

'Johnny,

I love you. I…I don't know where I'm heading. I want you to call me. Please. I just need to know you're all right. I'm not mentioning where I'm going, incase something happens. Or someone takes this. I know you're doing this for us. I'm thankful everyday to have met you…again. Huh. I don't want you to get hurt. I wouldn't be able to lose you. I miss you already. John…please call. I love you and I want you to know that I'll be fine. I know where I'm going and I know what I'm going to do. Please call. Let me know you're okay. Let me know you're alive. Please. I don't even know if you're getting this or if Lauren remembered to give it to you. I told her that if you didn't show up in a week to disregard this. Johnny, don't worry about me. I love you. Be careful. Stay safe. Take care. I love you so much. Too much. Be careful. Call. I love you, John, Pyro, whatever. You're the one who helped me. Cared. Way too much for me to believe someone actually did. Just know that I love you, Johnny. Know that I'm thinking about you and hoping that you're all right. I love you.

Love,

Marie'

He read it once more, counted the number of times she told him she loved him and couldn't help but smile slightly, inside or outside. As far as Rogue knew, he was dead. Wait…he was dead. As far as she knew.

Could this work? Was this right? He could disappear for a few years. Not call. No contact. She'd be much safer. Wouldn't she? _If the Brotherhood would trail her they'd know that she'd think I was dead. They wouldn't hurt her. They wouldn't. She'd be safe while I try to fix this. It'll be better._ He placed the letter, having folded it first, in his jacket's inner pocket. He took out his lighter and fiddled with it with his hands. The taxi stopped suddenly and flipped over and skidded upside down, screeching into the ground.

John mouthed a curse word, and with hard effort, pulled himself outside the car, kicking the window first. He felt the glass crush into small pieces under his foot as he stood up shakily.

Damn it, he thought heavily. He managed to drag out the unconscious, yet still alive, driver and laid him on the edge of the road. He took out a twenty and tucked it into the guy's shirt pocket.

"Thanks, man," he said.

He took one last deep breath, tried to concentrate, and held out his lighter. He could see figures coming up. He closed his eyes, and flicked open the lighter. As soon as the fire started, it engulfed him, blasted out, and the next thing, he was in the Academy, on the ground, and a shake from his teleportation shook the walls.

"Hmm," he said thoughtfully. "Gotta learn to perfect that."

Next thing he got pulled by the back of his jacket, ,and thrown backwards, sliding into the living room. His back hit the coffee table, and he looked up, annoyed, at Logan, who was giving him an expressionless look.

"Where's Storm?" he asked, getting up and dusting the sides of his jacket.

"You know, life was much easier before you came back around," Logan said, dismissing his question. He pushed his fist forward, and John ducked backwards, as the claws extended.

"Aw, well, what can you do?" he asked, taking the arm and pushing him away. "I'm not here to fight," he added, locking the open lighter and pocketing it.

"Somehow I doubt that."

"Yeah, well, who cares, eh?' Pause. "Is Rogue here?"

Wolverine crossed his arms.

"She's here, isn't she?" John asked, knowing the answer. It figured. Rogue would've thought that someone else might take the letter. Being unobvious was her…well, being obvious. "This conversation is taking too long," he added. Logan didn't budge. "Is she here?!" he demanded.

"No. Not now," Logan added at the look on John's face. "She left half an hour ago with Storm." Pause. "Supermarket."

John looked distraught and sat down.

Logan leaned next to the wall. "Where'd you go?"

"Tried to fix things."

"And?"

"It lasted for about a few minutes."

"Oh," Logan said in mock understanding. "Magneto carved you, Allerdyce. He's not gonna let you go that easily. He wants you to pay. To feel pain. You do know that, right?"

"Define 'pain'."

Logan shrugged. "Loss. Suffering. Emotional or physical suffering."

"I'm good with physical."

"Ah. He knows that. He knows you, doesn't he?"

"Emotional."

"Rogue," Logan said, replacing the word. "Understand, Allerdyce?"

"Yeah," John replied through gritted teeth, the zippo lighter making a re-entry into the scene. He flicked it's lid open and shut repeatedly.

"Yet, you refuse to believe that's what he's going after. _You_ believe that there's another way." Logan stood up straight. "He's the truth: there isn't. You're _his_ warrior. Heck, maybe you're just a warrior."

"You don't think I've thought of it that way?!" he asked.

"You're going to have to make a choice in the end, Allerdyce. Leave and save Rogue, who you keep blabbering is the love of your life. Or be stupid and get her killed. You're her husband. Know what's best for her." Logan turned and walked away.

John followed him. "So – what – now everyone's telling me to leave her?!"

"Well, maybe you should listen to 'everybody'." John looked ready to retort when Logan turned around to face him. "I know you love her. I can see that. I know you care about her. Again, I see that. I just need to know how much you love her and how deeply you care about her." Pause. "If you really _loved_ her you'd want her to be all right. _With_ or _without_ you. If you really _cared_ about her you'd want to make sure she'd never get hurt. _Ever_." Pause once more. "So, _John_. Tell me. How deeply do you love and care about the kid, eh?"

xXx

"Logan?" Storm called from the doorway.

She pushed it open and dragged in the overloading bags, with Rogue behind her. Logan came down the stairs. The bags hit the ground with a thud, and Storm looked at him with doe eyes.

"Get the other bags? Please?" she added in a begging manner.

He shook his head mockingly at the new headmistress, but left through the doors.

"Oh, honey, just leave those," Storm said, seeing Rogue start to pick up the bags. She smiled. "He'll get those."

"Ah, the advantages of being the Wolverine's keeper," Rogue said, climbing over the bags.

She reached the table and saw the lighter. The familiar lighter. _His_ lighter. _John's_ zippo lighter. She picked it up and examined it carefully. It was his. No doubt about it. Logan came through the doors with the third load of groceries.

"John?" she asked quietly, turning around. Storm was gone. Logan was there. He put down the bags. "He's here?" she asked in a somewhat squeaky voice. Was he? He was all right?

Logan looked uncomfortable. "He's…gone."

"What?" she asked, her tone of voice dropping.

"He's gone, Rogue. For good. But…" he added, taking a note out of his pocket. "He left this." She looked dumbfounded, with her jaw dropped open at his calmness and accepting matter to this. Then he looked at her and realized what the look meant. "No. I _didn't_ kill him. He left. He's not coming back."

Then he took one more thing out of his pocket. A ring. A wedding ring. Rogue took both the things.

Her eyes swelled up slightly with tears.

"What did you do?!" she screeched at him, crushing the note and the ring in separate hands. "What did you tell him?!"

"I didn't tell him anything!" Logan said in his defense. "Well…I just explained it to him. He made his own decision."

"Logan…" Rogue said, her voice falling once more. She wiped her eyes with the sides of her sleeves and pocketed the ring, opening the note.

'Will call at nine tonight. Pick up the phone. Please.'

She looked up at Logan in disbelief.

"Rogue," he said, taking a step forward. "I'm asking you one thing. Understand. Understand the reality of this relationship. One of you might end up dead. John knows this. You do as well. You have to accept that your love for each other _is_ strong. Things just work out these ways." He took her into his arms as she cried softly. "He loves you. Yes. He cares. Yes. He always wants to protect you. Yes. You love him. Yes. Everything, blah, blah, blah…Yes. But you know this isn't going to work out. You know that. Right?"

She nodded, her head still buried in his chest as he rubbed her back softly.

"He wants to talk to you for the last time. Don't miss this chance."

She backed up and looked at him with her puffy eyes and her red cheeks. Her arms were tightly folded and she was looking up and down, trying to stop the tears.

"What if you love someone too much?" she asked.

"You learn to let go."

**Review?**


	11. Chapter 10

_**Traitors: Chapter 10**_

She couldn't bear the waiting. It took forever. It seemed like forever before the sun even bothered to set. She decided to do it on her own. She didn't want anybody around to bother trying to comfort her when the ax was dropped. She wanted to be able to talk to him freely and privately. She didn't need them to be by her side. Be there for her. She needed them to just let her go through it her own way and get it over with. At points from six to seven she ended up crying silently. She'd skipped dinner, unable to push anything into her mouth or swallow even water. She had counted and evenly estimated that on that day she had cried around ten times. It was too painful.

How could John decide to do this? They had agreed that they'd somehow find a way or an answer to their problems and solve them in a way that would keep them together. That was one thing they both wanted. To stay together. Heck, they'd gotten married just to stay together. She knew he loved her. Loved her so much. So why was he doing this? There was a way. Somehow, somewhere, someday she knew that in the end they would've found a way to work it out.

She waited in her room, legs crossed, sitting on the bed. She'd move now and then around the room, looking out the window, sitting in a chair, or lying on the bed. It was 8:58. _Was he going to call at exactly nine?_ she wondered many times. She was now lying on the bed, drumming her fingers on the soft mattress, the phone right before her.

Two seemingly endless minutes passed, but the phone didn't ring at all. Then it was 9:01. The phone John had bought her rang loudly, and in less than a moment, she snatched it up shakily and answered it.

"Johnny?" she asked.

"Hey, baby," he said calmly. He sounded sad. Crest-fallen. Depressed. Unattached. Or atleast he was trying to sound unattached. "How…how are you? Is everything all right?"

"Y-yeah…" she murmured.

"Good. That's good. I was worried…" he added, stalling. "Rogue…what are we doing here?"

She didn't reply. He understood his words shook her.

"I mean," he continued. He re-thought how to handle the situation. "You know I love you, right?"

"I know, Johnny."

"Well. Logan. Logan asked me an important question today. 'How much do I love you? How deeply do I care about you?'" Pause. "I know I say I really care about you. I say I love you so much. I never really…" his voice cracked for a moment and she could hear him take deep breaths. "I never really managed to explain how much I love you and care for you…" He took deep breaths once more. "I love you so much…that I would die for you." Pause. "I care so deeply for you; I never want you to get hurt. Any kind of hurt. Especially from me. I never want to cause you pain." Pause as he took a few more deep breaths. "Rogue. We encountered each other when I asked you for some help." Pause. "You were the only one I thought would actually give a damn. Who would actually try and help or consider helping me." Pause. "I had an inkling of a sense that you might actually care about me, after everything. Alcatraz. Alkali Lake. Everything. And you did, didn't you?" His voice cracked once more. "My love for you re-ignited. You are one of the very, _very_ few people I care about. And when I care about a person, they are seriously special to me. So special I'd do anything for them. Do anything to protect them." His voice cracked one more time. "Do anything to make them happy."

"I am happy," she said squeakily, her eyes filling with tears. "I am happy. With you. I always happy when I'm with you, Johnny."

"I know, baby. I know. I'm happy. _Very_ happy when I'm with you as well." He took one deep breath. "I couldn't stop caring or loving you. I never wanted to lose you. I don't want to lose you. Rogue. You helped me. Back then. In the alley. And then you helped me more. You helped me…" he chuckle croakily. "You helped me become John once more." Pause. "To others that's not a good thing. At points, the old me would've thought so too…" Pause. "I don't want anyone to hurt you. So…how deeply do I care about you? I'd do anything to stop the people trying to hurt you, baby. And we know they'll keep trying to hurt you – hurt us – if we stay together. Long distance is impossible. You…I just…please understand me, here…this is the only way."

"Johnny –"

"No!" he said loudly. He stopped for a few moments. "No," he said a little weakly. "This _is_ the only way. We both know it."

"They'll still try to hurt you!" she cried loudly. "They won't stop! You know that also! You know that you're now classified as a traitor to them!" She stopped for a moment. "They'll kill you…" she said agonizingly. She waited forever more for his reply. It was so silent on his end. Her end as well, except for her panting and hard tries to stop the flourishing tears falling. Was he still there? Did he leave?

Then came the calm, low-voiced reply. "I know." Pause. "I know. I wrote my own destiny. I decided what would happen to me, Rogue. You didn't. I did. I decided what I wanted. What I still want. What I can't have. I've accepted that my actions have consequences."

"If you come back…"

"If I come back, we'll both die."

"I don't care!"

"I do!"

"And what? As though I don't care if you die?!"

He didn't reply for a long time. "I love you." He took a deep breath. "I love you. I love you. I love you so much." Pause. "So much that I'm willing to die for you." Pause. "These past few weeks were amazing, Rogue." Pause. "I know it sounds cheesy, but you _are_ my world." Pause. "All I care about."

"Johnny…" she murmured, knowing it was a lost battle.

"You'll be fine. We'll both be fine." He swallowed hard. "I love you." Long pause once more. "You know that, right?"

She didn't reply. Yes, she knew that. But why did he have to do this?

"I know. I love you too."

"I know." He hung up.

She got up forcibly from the bed, and opened the windows widely. She chucked the phone out with harsh force. It landed next to the pool, separating into many bits of pieces. The she turned and hugged herself tightly. Her cries weren't soft anymore. There were gasping noises as she tried to recollect air through the weeps. She collapsed to her knees. His wedding ring was on the dresser. Her eyes were closed tightly and her face was red. Her hair was falling on the sides of her face. The floor had a tiny puddle of tears, as well as other separate droplets. She wouldn't stop. It hurt too much. The ache was unbearable. It was as though it was sucking into her from the heart. From the chest. Like her heart was trying to escape. To pull itself out of her chest just to escape the extreme pain.

_He's gone. He loves me. He's gone. He loves me. He's going to get killed…He's gone. He loves me…_she chanted in her mind as she rocked back and forth. Her feet were cold. She was cold. Inside and outside. Her face felt wet and warm though. The tears were non-stop. Neither was the pain. The endless pain. The continuous pain. The everlasting pain. As everlasting as their love…or so she had thought before. But was their love really dead? He still loved her. She still loved him. They just weren't together. Weren't next to each other. _He's gone. He loves me. He's gone. He's gone. He's gone. He's…gone…_

She somehow managed in a long time to stand up. The tears were still falling. She was still crying heavily. She felt the cold wind hit her in the back. She walked up to the dresser, and took off both her rings as well, placing it next to his. Her eyes were on their wedding rings. They were next to his lighter. She placed the lighter in her jeans pocket. Her hands laid heavily on the surface of the dresser. The mirror was right infront of her.

_He loves me…_

Her head bashed into the glass and it shatter to pieces. She fell back into the arms of a stranger. His hand, which had been held up in position behind her head had moved swiftly and caught her before she dropped. The blood dripped slightly down from her forehead onto the ground. Her eyes were closed. Her skin white from all the crying. All the pain. The blood was so red. It dripped a few more times, and the stranger listened carefully to it. They were the same colour as his eyes. He lifted her a little higher in his arms, and carefully carried her out the window and down onto the ground. He looked at her pale figure in the moonlight, and walked out of the residence.

xXx

John clenched the phone in his hand, and threw it away far down the street. A car ran over it and crushed it to bits. He put his hands in his pocket and made his way down the sidewalk. It was a rather deserted part of the city. Only a few people were there and only a few people had seen the act he had just displayed. He took out the second lighter. Another zippo. More plain though. Nothing like his favourate one. But that one he gave to Rogue. He had arranged for the divorce papers, which he had already signed, to reach tomorrow, and hoped that she, or she under the influence of Logan, would sign them too. He really did love her. He really would always love her. But still. They knew – especially him – that in the end it'd be this way. Even if they refused to believe. Plus what he had said to Rogue was true. He was ready to accept his fate. Death at the hands of the Brotherhood. He took a deep breath. He, himself had a hard time not ending up in tears. But he had to be strong. For him and for Rogue. He just hoped that she'd find peace. Find love. Again. Maybe he just wasn't the right guy. Huh.

He turned around the corner and looked at the two men ready to meet him. He recognized them both from his earlier fights. He held out his arms openly. Like he said, 'ready'. They walked forward, took him by the arm, and punched him. While he was down, they dragged him into an alley, and kicked his ribs, legs, arms and any part of his body they could. They pounded his head, and didn't stop for about fifteen minutes. He could feel the pain. The sharp, agonizing, repeated pains in repeated parts of his body. He felt as though his ribs were being cracked open one by one. He could barely move his bruised arms and legs. He could taste the blood, feel it moving round him, leaking from new wounds. Then, when he was way far out of consciousness, dripping with blood and dirt, messed up everywhere and beaten harsh, they dragged him into a car, which sped off at fast speed.

xXx

He could smell…fire. John's eyes bolted open, and the fire was washed out instantly.

"The smelling salts didn't exactly work," Mystique said, somewhat kindly. Strange.

He looked up at her, and as his gaze took a few moments to come clear, he saw where he was. Some wood…surrounded by trees. It was dark. Then flashlights lit from five different positions, all pointing at him. He flinched at the brightness. His head and heart were throbbing strongly. His body ached. The wounds stung. And he was inhaling more of dust than air.

"Let's cut the small talk. We saw this coming. Heck yeah. It was gonna end this way, Pyro," she said simply, shrugging. She took out a long knife, and approached him closely. The kind of closeness he only appreciated – and wanted – from Rogue. Then she spoke softly, her icy-cold voice breathing into his skin. "What? No one said this wasn't going to hurt. A lot."

She cut down his shirt. Wounds deep to hurt. Not deep enough to injure strongly. She was going to make this slow and painful. Somewhere deep inside, this was killing her. But that feeling was small, tiny even, and over-ruled by her feeling of the right to honor her side. Her leader. She was given a task.

This went on, until he was dripping blood from various places. He could still withstand the pain.

"What, that it, bitch?!" he roared at her as blood dripped from his mouth.

"Oh, oh no. no. no. no." She threw the knife and it darted into a tree, sticking to it stiffly. "That's just to weaken you."

Then he could feel himself being untied. He dropped the ground, and attempted to stand up. He was kicked in the stomach, and elbowed on the back. He dropped down, inhaling the dirt. Then he was picked up and thrown to a side, and felt the pains of many kicks, and a couple of punches. Torture. It lasted for a long time, to him anyway. At points, they'd give him a chance to stand and regain himself, then push him back down. They kicked him the stomach so much he somewhat puked out blood. His head was throbbing harder than ever. He knew that Mystique was either just watching or had left the remaining recruits to hit him. But he understood what had been the order: Attack. Hurt. Torture. Do not kill.

He felt his insides turned as one man turned him face up, and punched him from the side of the head five times. And man yanked him by the hair tightly, and another kneed him in the gut. His clothes were stained with sweat, dirt, mud and blood.

They dropped him onto the ground once more. He didn't budge. Couldn't feel any part of himself except the pain. He coughed twice. He couldn't move his body at all.

"Get up!" one of them growled, jerking him up by the collar. They pushed him into the tree and tied him up once more. He laid his head back into the rough bark of the tree and tried to collect the minimal number of breaths he still could.

"Will you just end it?!" he demanded through gasps and pants. "What…you keeping me alive from dramatic effects?! Get it over with…" His head hung low. He didn't have any energy to hold it up high anymore. His hair became a mop coming down his eyes.

"Where is she?!" Mystique hollered to one of the guards.

He could barely see them. Then he heard someone hit the ground with a thud and give a grunt of pain. A female-sounding grunt of pain. He jerked his head up and saw her. She was blindfolded. Blood was dripping from her forehead.

"No." A small breath. Barely audible. "She's not part of this!" he yelled louder. "Not anymore!"

"Where's the fun in that?" Mystique asked sardonically. She knelt down next to Rogue, who didn't budge. "Your husband's here…" she murmured.

"She's not part of this, Mystique!!" John roared louder than ever.

It took up more of his energy. But he couldn't understand. Why…she wasn't making a sound. Silent, but awake. Then he understood. Her hand slipped into her back pocket and slid out a lighter. She tossed it open and switched on towards the back and the small flame turned huge and blasted everywhere. Rogue dropped to the ground and took off the blindfold. Her hands were still bound. She jumped up and went to him.

"Go. Run." he said. She stopped momentarily and kissed him shortly. Then she backed off and ran into the trees behind him.

He turned to the rest of the people. The fires got bigger and bigger, and the more he created, the more he manipulated, the more he enlarged the fires…the more energy he got. He was feeding off the power. He grinned. This _was_ fun.

xXx

Rogue ran through the woods. It was dark. She couldn't see around that much. The blow to her head was painful. But more of a numbing pain that made her semi-block out. Then she stopped as she slipped sideways. She dropped to the ground, and tried to stand up. She was nearly up straight and something hit her in the head again. A baseball bat. She was knocked out. But somehow, she could still feel the pain…and feel repeated, more strong hits as the blows continued.

xXx

John had taken them all out. They were knocked out and had gone through the same treatment they sent him through. He felt the fires tears at the ropes the held him tight. He tried to follow the way Rogue went, but he was sloppy. He tripped and had to stop to take deep breaths every now and then, but couldn't find her. He ran forward, but stopped suddenly.

_No._

She was on the ground. Her hair went across her face, but it wasn't enough to hide the surplus of bleeding from a newer concussion. She was bleeding tremendously and was pale. Extremely pale and getting even paler. He felt himself freeze inside. Felt the heat and power he had just felt die instantly. He dropped to his knees next to her and took her in his arms.

"Baby?" he cried, shaking her slightly. Her blood leaked into his arms and knees. He felt tears falling down into his lap. He brushed the hair across her face aside. He pulled her closer to him and bowed his head down, starting to cry. "Please no. Please. Please," he wept. "No…"

"One more time…" he breathed. "One more time…just one more time…"

The grief pained him greatly. Was she dead…? He didn't bother to check. The hope seemed…well, hopeless. Yet he still kept it. Maybe…just maybe…

He opened his lighter and flicked it open, the fire engulfed both of them. A blast occurred, and then they were gone. Yet he was still crying. He knew inside. It was over.

xXx

"_Hey, Johnny," Rogue said softly to him. _

_The sun shone through the curtains and into the bed, lighting up her face and causing her brown hair to shine glossily. He woke up next to her. Her hand was on his. It was soft. Felt good. He took it in his and smiled at her. It was the perfect morning. Just dawn, but bright and beautiful. _

"_Morning," she said sweetly._

"_Morning." He took her hand tighter, but a little loosely, and said, "I love you." He did. He really did._

"_I know."_

"_You'll always know, right?"_

"_I always know, Johnny."_

"_I love you, Marie."_

"_I know, Johnny," she said once more, leaning into his chest. _

_He could feel her. She felt so…right. So warm and…just perfectly right. He kept his hold on her hand, and his other hand around her, pulling her closer to him._

_Then she pulled back, except for their joined hands. _

"_Maybe it was suppose to be this way."_

"_Maybe," he agreed softly._

"_Maybe another time, huh?" she asked, smiling at him. She got up from the bed and walked to the door. _

"_Yeah." He looked at her. "Another time."_

_She smiled once more and opened the door. Then she left and shut the door._

_He sat there silent for a while, then scoffed. _

"_Happy endings. Knew they were bullshit." He shook his head dolefully._

The end.

**A/N: Hey…just incase you're a little confused…the last part was just something I added to say, imagine what would happen if Rogue and John got a chance to talk about her death. Like a dream sorta thing. So it's done now. Thanks for the reviews. **


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